


Technoss Unchained

by TheBeardedOne



Category: Original Work, Science Fiction - Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:16:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 46,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27753703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBeardedOne/pseuds/TheBeardedOne
Summary: Grrlash Galrraanaa had heard of Humans, an ancient race destroyed by those invading his homeworld.But ancient myths hold grains of truth and vengeance can last millennia...
Kudos: 1





	1. Earthfall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I came across this story in my files a while ago and decided that as another historical curiosity (it was written in 2005), I may as well publish it for people to laugh at.
> 
> This chapter was originally the prequel, so jumping to the next chapter is easily do-able, you won't miss much.

**Earthfall**

_In 2027, the United States of Europe or U.S.E, as it was more commonly called, suffered a catastrophic crash of its already unsteady primary currency, the Euro, as a result of a combination of mutually-opposed national economic requirements and the discovery of a counterfeiting ring that was responsible for one in every seven Euros being a fake. The resultant financial crisis destabilized all of Europe, except for the United Kingdom, which had seceded from the U.S.E seven years earlier and had allied its economy to America. With the aid of all the english-speaking countries, Europe stabilized just short of total anarchy.  
Recognizing their power, England, America, Canada and Australia started to undergo planned convergence of their economies and political systems in 2039, forming the _Tri-Continental Alliance _, which would later became known as the World League. Gradually all of Russia, Aisia, Africa, South America and Europe petitioned for membership of the League, except for France, which attempted, and failed, to set up its own organisation,_ La League Permiere _.  
By 2115, France was the only country that was not a part of the World League (Japan having applied for inclusion on the understanding that its citizens could join the armed planetary militia if they so chose to), but at no time was any pressure placed on it to join. This situation continued until 2166, when the last French President, Jean-Paul leClerk, realizing that France had become a standing joke to the rest of the world, led them into the World League. The process took four years, but in 2172, the Earth celebrated its total unity. Six years later, it was to face its ultimate test, First Contact._

* * *

.

The first ship exited from Hyperlight in a bubble of Tachyon-radiation, which evaporated as the ship finished settling into the standard four dimensions, its scanners reaching out to ascertain the safety of the surrounding area. A split second later, a second ship joined it, then a veritable flood of vessels descended from Hyperlight. Soon twelve hundred vessels floated outside the orbit of Pluto, arrayed in a large sphere surrounding the largest ship. As one, the ships activated their sublight engines and slowly accelerated towards a small speck of light further insystem, a light known to its inhabitants as Earth.

.

The alarm sounded and Peter MacDourn woke. Cursing under his breath, he unfastened the velcro straps that held him in his bunk and pushed off towards the control sphere. Floating into the control-cabin, he pulled himself into the control seat and activated his primary sensor arrays, seeking confirmation that an asteroid was indeed on an intercept course with Waystation Seven-Five-Beta. What showed up on his screen, however, was no asteroid, and was definitely unfriendly. Peter had just enough time to hit the message-pod eject button before twelve missiles reduced his space station to free-floating debris.

.

The scoutships reversed course and rejoined the fleet. Although the threat posed by the station was negligible, it still had to be destroyed. Because they had long-ceased to use the standard electro-magnetic spectrum as information transfer conduits, they missed the pod hurtling towards their intended destination, shrieking out its message for those who knew what to listen for.

-INVASION IMMINENT. HOSTILE NON-HUMAN FORCES. STATION 75B DESTROYED. INVASION IMMINENT-

* * *

.

The telephone rang and King Marcus Windsor II, King of England and, for the last six years, President of Earth, reached out sleepily and managed to grab it on his third attempt. Lifting the antique handpiece to the side of his head, the King muttered into the phone in an attempt to avoid waking his wife.

"What?"

"Your Majesty, Vice-President Churchill is on-line for you."

Marcus managed to prize himself further away from the realms of sleep.

"Your Majesty?"

"Put him through."

"Very good, sire."

There was a slight pause, then another voice came on.

"Sire, I have unusual news for you, and not very good news."

Marcus frowned.

"Don't let me die of old age, Gerald, what is it?"

"Waystation 7-5-Beta near Pluto has been destroyed, sire. We have reason to believe that it was destroyed by a hostile non-human intelligence."

Marcus's brain suddenly cleared and he sat up.

"Did you say..?"

"Hostile non-human. Yes sire. We've just about got it on our Astronomy Satellite network now, but it's hard to get the details at this range. We estimate at least six hundred vessels, no peace delegation would need anywhere near that quantity. Coupled with the destruction of 7-5-Beta, we must assume the worst."

Marcus nodded.

"Do the regional councils know?"

"Not yet, Sire. That was going to happen once this call was finished.

Marcus nodded again.

"Estimated time to arrival?"

"At current speeds, a mere thirty-four days, Sire."

"Alright, get the planet on a war footing, Gerald, and don't skimp on the orbital defenses either. Can we upgrade them in time?"

"I don't know, possibly."

Marcus nodded once more, the icy cold of shock fading from his brain.

"Do it. And try to get our asteroid miners out of the way."

"As ordered, Sire." Gerald returned, his voice heavy with relief, and then the line went dead.

"What happened?" murmured Queen Caroline, her voice indicating that she was barely awake.

"Uninvited guests." replied her husband, his voice laden with irony.

* * *

.

The sphere of ships continued towards its target, its scout-ships flashing through the asteroids, destroying anything that resembled technology. Many human space-bases were destroyed but they had already been abandoned. A hidden base in orbit round Uranus, manned not be humans, but by a mixture of other sentients, was also discovered and destroyed, but not before they recognized the design of the ships that attacked them. In the instant of their deaths, a burst of invisible light raced towards Earth, carrying a desperate message to those they once watched in secret.

-ZHLANTANS ATTACK. DEFEND YOURSELVES-

* * *

.

"We interrupt this program with an urgent message from Vice President Gerald Churchill."

Charley MacDourn, "Dour" to his few friends, glanced up at the screen mounted on the wall. Around him, the other patrons of the bar fell silent, bemused at the sudden switch from their favourite game. On the screen, the image changed, showing Vice President Gerald Churchill standing behind a podium on which was emblazoned the official sigil of Earth, both hemispheres on a shield. He looked grave, and started to speak.

"People of Earth, a mere twelve hours ago, I recieved confirmation that we are not alone in the universe. A fleet of spaceships has entered our solar system and has destroyed one of our Waystations, Waystation 7-5-Beta, manned by Commander Peter MacDourn."

Charley's glass imploded in his hand, slicing into his palm and fingers. He didn't notice.

"Five minutes ago, while we were preparing for this broadcast, our enemies were identified."

He motioned to one side, and a new picture appeared on the screen, that of a being obviously not human. The figure turned its compound eyes towards the screen and rasped, "Zhlantans attack. Defend yourself."

Even as it finished its message, the wall behind it exploded, and the picture dissolved into static before reverting back to Churchill.

"We cannot expect any help, the attack on the hidden outpost was spotted by our telescopes, and they had only enough time to send us that message. All we know is our enemy's name, and the fact that they mean to attack us.

"As of zero-nine-hundred GMT, this planet will go onto a war footing. I will not condone enforced entry into the armed forces, but we will need many, many volunteers. I will not lie, I do not know if the human race can survive this, but for now we face merely a thousand ships, so we may yet have a chance. I am also ending the secrecy surrounding Area 51, the Rushmore Sanctuary, Russia's Tech-City and all other secret research centres round the world. Our enemy is no longer amongst ourselves, my friends, it is above us, and we need all the weapons we can get.

"Thank you."

As the screen altered to an excited newswoman, Charley stood up and placed a twenty-credit bill on the bar.

"Frank, take it, keep the change."

The Barkeeper looked at him, and paled.

"What you going to do, Dour?"

"Whoever or whatever they are, they killed my younger brother, Frank. I think it is only just that they should suffer as well. I'm re-enlisting in the Space-Service."

The bar remained silent as Charley walked out onto the empty street.

* * *

.

The sphere of ships streaked through a second asteroid belt, and suddenly found itself under attack. Swarms of asteroids raced towards the fleet on courses predetermined with malice of forethought, propelled by chemical rockets planted by asteroid-miners. Over three dozen vessels were destroyed in the first rocky onslaught, and many other suffered fatal damage as they maneuvered frantically to prevent any of the projectiles from impacting on their command ship.

By the time that they managed to fight their way clear of the asteroid belt, they had lost over a hundred vessels, without even seeing their opponents. Once clear, they rearranged their formation, tightening it up to compensate for their losses, and flew onwards.

* * *

.

Charley manipulated the joysticks on the panel in front of him, sending the converted colony supply-freighter into a seven-G turn. Beside him, his co-pilot activated the ejection system, and a hundred sensor platforms and nuclear mines flew out of the open cargo hatches, on a carefully-calculated course that would intersect the invaders. Stabilizing the craft, Charley glanced over at his co-pilot.

"That's it for now, back to the barn."

The black-skinned man beside him smiled in relief.

"Thank god." he said. "You seem to have this unholy fascination with near-death maneuvers."

Charley barely smiled as he glanced out of the viewport at the other craft pacing him.

"Jax, I don't think that we're gonna pull through this alive."

Jax nodded slowly.

"That's why they're evacuating the cities, bro. I heard that they even opened up the aquabases to hold as many as possible, if the worst comes to the worst. Meanwhile, stop staring at the fighter, and get us back to base."

Charley nodded and turned his attention to his controls.

"And may God help us." muttered Jax as the looming mass of the space station opened up to engulf their ship.

* * *

.

The first Zhlantan vessel spotted the incoming objects, but ignored them until the first nuclear mine exploded against its flank, destabilizing its shields enough to allow two other mines through, turning the ship into an expanding cloud of plasma. The other ships responded with salvos of missiles and slashing beams of energy, but even so, many more ships were destroyed by the mines. The few sensor-platforms that survived the explosions dutifully transmitted their information to Earth just before the Zhlantan ships targeted and destroyed them. The ships continued on their course, ignoring the plasma clouds that had been fifty ships.

* * *

.

The squadron of Spacefighters zoomed past the space station, pulling high-G turns made possible only by the non-human technology contained within their four engines. In his cockpit, located between two protruding wings that contained his primary weapons, Charley grinned. Constantly checking his instruments and displays, Charley hurled his ship round, keeping in perfect formation.

"Dour, loosen up. This is _formation_ flying, not fusion flying!"

"Acknowledged, lead."

Twitching his stick slightly, Charley slid away from his squadron leader, then frowned at his display.

"Boss, this is Dour. I'm picking up something at zero-zero-four, mark zero-one-two. Scanners are having trouble locking onto it."

There was a silence before another voice spoke.

"Captain Carlton, this is Five. Dour's right, I've got it as well. Range, five thousand klicks, plus or minus one thousand."

"Understood. Base, this is Skystrike Squadron, we've detected a possible bogey, going in to challenge."

Without waiting for a response, Carlton fully activated his engines and Charley accelerated alongside him. Behind them the rest of the squadron followed, sliding into the formation known as three-hands, named after each unit's arrangement of Spacefighters.

"Boss to all units, we're just recon. Fire if fired upon, but concentrate on staying alive and getting our info back to base. Split into wingpairs at the first sign of hostile action, then hustle past and loop back wide."

Charley nodded mentally even as he frowned at the readings he was getting from the target.

"Sir, I think it's moving towards us."

"What, why the he..."

The transmission ended at the exact instant that Carlton's Spacefighter was transformed into an expanding cloud of wreckage and Charley spun away in reflex. As he spun, he caught a glimpse of a missile accelerating through the area he had just vacated, then he saw the other explosions.

"This is Dour. Anyone else still alive?"

"Dour, this is Eleven!" answered a panicked female voice. "All the others are gone! Just gone!"

"Alright. Close in on me, move when I do. We have a mission to complete, let's hustle."

Waiting just long enough for Eleven to close in on him, Charley threw his craft into an irregular and unpredictable series of rolls, spirals and slides in all directions. As he did so, he caught glimpses of missiles zooming past him, then he spotted what he wanted. Careening round in a high-G turn, he came to rest behing a packmarked asteroid and used a searchlight to illuminate a large cavern.

"Eleven, park in there and stay for six hours before heading back to the barn to report. I'll lead them away from you. Keep your antenna clear, I'll dump my tac-data to you."

Shutting off his comm, Charley accelerated away from the Asteroid and raced towards the target. Spinning and sliding, he managed to dodge the incoming missiles that crept ever closer to him. Locating the target in his sights, he grinned wolfishly and activated his weapons systems. Fifty micro-missiles raced out towards his target, then his ship shuddered and leapt upwards, bouncing him around in his cockpit. His helmet smacked against the edge of the cockpit, dazing him, and he fell into blackness even as his hand reached out to hit the eject button.

.

".. should wake up soon, but I can't say when."

Charley heard the words, but they seemed distant and unconnected to him.

"We need him up. He took on three enemy vessels and managed to destroy two of them."

Charley frowned mentally. They must be talking about someone else, he decided. He only remembered firing at one ship.

"We need him soon, Captain Charley MacDourn is being given command of Elite Squadron, and it's almost ready to go active."

Charley opened his eyes, confused.

"I'm a Flight Officer."

The two blurred figures resolved into a doctor and a tall woman wearing the uniform of an Admiral. The latter figure spoke.

"Ah, you are awake. Good. Doctor, get him up as soon as possible."

With that the woman turned and strode out, leaving Charley even more confused.

"I though I was dead." he said. The doctor smiled.

"No, but it was close. When Helena Starborn, SkyStrike Eleven, returned alone, we almost gave up hope, untill the squadron we sent to investigate the two explosions found you drifting in the wreckage of your fighter and two Zhlantan ships. As near as we can figure from the tac-data you sent to Helena, you fired all your missiles at the first ship, and caught it by suprise. The second ship was caught in the explosion, and was effectively gutted. Your fighter took the brunt of the wavefront, but you survived. When they found you, you had ten minutes air remaining, and multiple contusions and lacerations. Fortunately, the self-mend aspect of the suit worked."

Charley shuddered, then frowned.

"What happened to Elev, er, Helena?"

The doctor smiled.

"She's already back in action, as SkyBolt Four. She was relieved to hear of your rescue."

Charley accepted the uniform handed to him and started to put it on.

"How long was I out?"

"Two weeks. Things aren't going well."

As Charley started to fasten his boots, the doctor continued.

"The High-ups came up with a plan to change the course of battle, but they need another two weeks to do it. The Zhlantans keep trying to bombard Earth into submission, but so far all but seven warheads have been intercepted. Five of those hit the sea, the other two took out London and Beijing. Over twenty-nine million confirmed casualties."

Charley winced.

"Nukes?"

The doctor shook her head.

"No. Kinetic strikes, we think that they used lead warheads."

Charley nodded slowly.

"And our forces?"

"Down to less than a thousand Spacefighters."

Charley nodded as he rose, ignoring the room's rotation.

"Okay, I'm ready."

* * *

.

Unleashing another barrage of missiles, the Zhlantan ships altered course slightly, turning their linear approach into a decreasing spiral round their target. Their scanners played out ahead of them, checking every object for potential threats. The few that intersected their course were demolished by powerful beams that flickered through space, delivering enough energy to transform each rock into a cloud of plasma and hydrogen. Although proud and convinced of their superiority, they were still able to learn the lessons of war.

* * *

.

The twelve Stealthfighters hovered in the sensor-shadow of the asteroid that was parallelling the course of the Zhlantan ships. In his cockpit, Charley watched the data being transmitted from a nearby sensor platform. Smiling grimly, he reached for the comm-switch.

"Okay people, distraction has been launched, we go in twenty."

As he watched, the twelve fake Strikefighters cut across the Zhlantans course, unleashing a barrage of missiles. The entire Zhlantan formation shifted into a screen protecting the largest ship from the missiles, and beams of pure energy lashed out at the forty-eight missiles racing towards the fleet.

"NOW!"

Even as he shouted out the command, Charley slammed the throttle to max power and was slammed back into his seat. Hurling his Stealthfighter round the asteroid, he stabilized it so that it pointed directly towards their target, relying on the wedge-shape vessel's space-black coating and systems to deflect or neutralize any Zhlantan detection beams. Glancing out of his cockpit, he just managed to spot two of his squadron in their assigned positions, and knew that the others were also. Returning his gaze forward, he noted the weaknesses in the formation. Once again he reached for the comm-switch.

"Alter heading by zero-two-three mark negative zero-zero-nine on my mark. Three, two, one, Mark!"

Powerfull jets activated, hidden by carefully placed baffles, and thrust the Stealthfighters onto their new heading, aiming directly for the point where the fore and aft hemispheres of the Zhlantan formation met and failed to fit together accurately. As dark as the vacuum surrounding them, the twelve craft hurtled forwards. Charley smiled tensely, then swore as several vessels started to roll.

"They've spotted us! Max accel, try to take out their flagship!"

The huge rockets burst into life and, under Charley's firm grip, hurled his ship forwards, followed closely by the other eleven ships. The radar screamed as missiles flashed past them, exploding in the spaces they had just vacated. Despite the acceleration pinning him into his couch, Charley managed to activate his weapon systems. The smooth delta shape of his fighter seemed to fragment as multiple bays opened, mag-powered missile launchers and miniguns forward, more miniguns aft. Zooming through the outer surface of the formation, Charley slammed the jets into operation, sending him barreling round the enemy vessels in maneuvers that seemed to break every law of physics. As he zoomed through, he caught sight of the others, their vessels brief shadows against the alien lines of the Zhlantan vessels, racing towards the center of the formation, leaving chaos and explosions in their wake as the Zhlantan beams and missiles intended for them missed and hit other targets. Ahead of him, the central vessel, five times larger than any other in the fleet, loomed. Hitting his fire button, Charley sent a dozen nukes towards it, then pulled his craft round in a high-G turn.

"Prime launched!"

For a split second, he feared that he was the only one to have reached the target, then his comm came alive with overlapping fire confirmations. Smiling, he concentrated on escaping from the rapidly fragmenting formation, dodging and twisting as he headed away from Earth, allowing the glow of his engines to give away his position.

"Form on me!" he barked as several missiles overtook him, missing him by a huge margin, and demonstrating that the control centre of the Zhlantan fleet was effectively disabled.

As the others dropped into position, Charley started to alter course, entering a long parabolic turn that would return them to Earth orbit. To his right, a sudden glimmer of light appeared, and he let out a sigh of relief.

"Okay, boys and girls, we can relax. With the control ship down, the Zhlantan defence net may as well not exist. Phase two has now begun, the sparks of light that you see hurtling towards the enemy are special missiles, each carrying fifty armoured space-troops. Along with them, we have a similar number of decoy missiles and anti-missile defence clusters."

Even as he spoke, several of the sparks flared out of existence as the Zhlantans started to respond to the new threat.

"What do you mean, boss?" asked one of his pilots.

"We have close to a million manned missiles either launched, launching or being loaded, and with only eight hundred enemy vessels, we can overwhelm them."

Several other sudden glints marked the demise of other missiles, but the swarm headed towards the main fleet, each trying to home in on a specific vessel. Charley closed his eyes briefly, then continued his explanation.

"According to the theoretical models, we expect at least 50% casualties, but the troops are all volunteers, who lost loved ones. They knew what they were going into, and hopefully, fate will smile on them."

The first cloud of missiles had penetrated the fleet, and a second group flashed into visibility on the edge of the planet's atmosphere.

"Let's get back to the barn."

* * *

.

* * *

.

**Interlude**

_The missiles proved successful, of the entire Zhlantan fleet, most self-destructed when the captains realised that they could not hold against the beserker warriors flooding into their ships. One hundred and seven ships were captured, overwhelmed before the captains could purge the computers or activate the self destruct, and only one ship, heavily damaged by the 50 humans who penetrated it, managed to escape, limited to a mere 3c. With ten years to work in before the Zhlantans could respond, the Humans decided to abandon Earth, and use their newly acquired technology to go to the places where the Zhlantans had not yet penetrated. However, to prevent the Zhlantans from realising what had happened, volunteers were required to mount a suicide-defence of Earth. Over fifty million people volunteered, and of those five million were selected. Within two years, the first Super-transports had departed Earth, carrying over two billion people each. Those who remained called themselves the True-Guard, and waited for the return of their enemies._

* * *

_._

* * *

_._

Commodore Charley MacDourn looked up through the portal of the disguised moonbase at the veritable fleet of battleships which orbited Earth, forming a ring around the planet. Each ship held less than fifty crew, with enough automation to allow for full combat potential, and there were over fifty thousand ships, as well as over a million strikefighters and gunships. The armada seemed to blur into aa almost-solid ring protecting the Earth, but Charley knew that it was an illusion.

"I should be out there."

"You were selected by lottery, and allowed to assemble your own team." said a familiar voice from behind him. "You were one of the few with the self-control needed to ensure that the final battle is recorded for when we avenge it."

Charley nodded and turned to face his XO.

"You may be right, Helena, but I hate this waiting."

Helena smiled wryly.

"The databases told us how far away the Zhlantans live, and the sensors on the asteroid bases showed significant damage on the only vessel to escape, damage that would limit it to no more than 5c. We managed to evacuate the Earth of all who would go, and those stayed know that they are on a suicide mission. The Zhlantans believe in overwhelming force and their right to rule the universe, so they'll be back again and again until we or they are dead."

Charley nodded and started to turn back to the viewport, but a sudden eruption of light on the main tactical display seized his attention, rendering the alert klaxon unnecessary. He stepped forward and tapped Richard Joat on the shoulder.

"Report."

Richard stared into his displays, his fingers flickering across the touch-screens and control boards as he worked to refine the data. His face paled, and he half-turned.

"Sensors report many translations out of Hyper, sir, over one point five million! At this range, I cannot get an accurate count, but with that many…"

Charley nodded as the comm-operator spoke up.

"Flag requests link."

"Do it."

The main display blanked and reformed into the head and shoulders of the leader of the True-Guard, as the defence-fleet had been named.

"Admiral Matsugai."

"Commodore MacDourn. I assume you have detected the same as we have?"

"Indeed."

"Start the recordings, we'll dump tac-data to you. With that many ships incoming, fancy footwork will be useless. We'll let them settle on a course, and generate an intercept vector. Lock down your emissions, go to passive and hide. We know our task, you know yours. Good luck, Dour. Matsugai out."

The screen blanked out and Charley turned to Helena.

"Emcon now, and evacuate the air from the outer sections. I hope that Intell was right and the rock hides us from their sensors."

"Kamikaze moving out of orbit!"

Charley turned back to the display and watched as the flagship accelerated, the missile pods clamped to its hull sparkling like scales. The rest of the fleet started to accelerate as well, forming up around the Kamikaze in a veritable river of battle-steel and technology, crewed with volunteers heading out to meet their deaths.

"There go the bravest bastards ever."

Charley was never sure who had spoken, but he nodded his agreement as the last vessels accelerated out of orbit. An old quote occurred to him.

" _Go tell the Spartans, thou who passeth by,"  
__that here obedient to their laws we lie."_

.

The control room seemed silent, with all eighteen of them watching the screen. On it, indicated by symbols, the data showed the battle being joined. Small icons seemed to scatter from the human fleet and a sudden wall of missiles issued from the deployed pods. The Zhlantans, however, responded with their own missiles, blunting the attack, and icons started to wink out in both fleets as the outer portions started to close into energy range. The battle started to spread out, with Zhlantan formations trying to go round the human fleet to reach their destination, and the humans blocking their path at high cost. Charley watched for as long as he could, and then stepped back. The others jolted at his movement, and turned to face him.

"We have to prepare for our part. Our ships need to be checked and prepped, and the datalinks confirmed. Remember, we must get this data to Refuge, the True-Guard deserve it."

Grim expressions and nods of assent answered him and one by one, they left the room and the display which showed the ongoing titanic battle without its associated cost.

.

"Commander MacDourn to Command!"

The call echoed through the corridors of the base and Charley sprinted into the control room.

"What?"

"Sir, Earth!"

Charley looked at the screen which showed a fiber-optic relayed view of the Earth, and stared at the sparkles above its atmosphere. Realization dawned, and he looked at the board showing the status of the Fleet. The display showed less than a quarter of the original Fleet remained, and the board next to it showed the numbers of the once two-million strong Zhlantan fleet.

"Are they trying to land? Stage an invasion?"

As if the question had somehow carried across the vacuum of space, one of the communication screens lit up with the face of Admiral Matsugai, his features lacking their normal inscrutability in favor of a rage which was somehow enhanced by the burn covering the left of his face.

"This is an all-ships announcement, the Zhlantans have poisoned the Earth's atmosphere! Contact was lost with groundside five minutes ago, Earth is now uninhabitable! All ships, avenge our home!"

The screen blinked off, and Charley turned to stare at the main screen. On it, the icons of the True-Guard accelerated at a rate which showed that they were stressing their engines beyond their design tolerances. The ships, formation forgotten, slammed into the Zhlantan fleet, taking hits at point-blank range without flinching while firing every weapon at maximum power.  
Caught by surprise, many Zhlantan ships tried to swerve away from the suicidal humans, and paid for their actions as their maneuvers exposed their engines to the human weapons. On the screen, the icons simply blinked out as the fleets interpenetrated while on the screens fed by surface-cameras, the battle was marked by nuclear explosions and plasma clouds.  
The battle surged and roiled, with the human vessels slicing through the Zhlantan fleet until they could no longer fire, then using their ships as weapons, ramming the enemy in an orgy of mutual destruction. Charley closed his eyes in prayer as the carnage mounted. The rate of exchange was ruinously in favoring the Humans, but the Zhlantans could take it, and their mission was complete, Earth could never be rebuilt.  
He opened his eyes in time to see the final human ships destroyed in a final attack on the largest remaining Zhlantan ships. Once again silence reigned throughout the command post, broken by a shout.

"Incoming!"

Before Charley could even respond to the cry, he was flung from his feet by the sudden rumbling of debris hitting the surface of the moon, vaporizing large chunks and creating new craters across its face.

* * *

.

".. and so due to the falling debris, only one ship is still intact."

Charley looked round at the others and continued.

"Although they were designed for six crew, we may be able to fit in a full dozen with scavenged power and environmental systems taken from the wreckage of the other ships. That means that six of us will have to remain behind. I will be one of them, and I want five other volunteers."

He paused and looked round.

"Chin, you are the best pilot we have, so you will be going, as will Lisa, who will act as your co-pilot. Gareth, John, Phillipa, you are the best engineers we have, you must go in order to keep the ship working and ensure that you get to Refuge."

"I'm staying."

Charley looked at Helena and started to speak but she cut him off.

"Don't even think about forcing me to go, Dour! If I have to leave you, I'll never recover, and I know that you need someone to watch over you!"

A chuckle ran around the room, and Charley nodded with a sigh.

"Besides," she added, "I think I know how we can survive."

* * *

.

The cryo-tube stood in the center of the control room with the hastily-installed support-systems connected to various ports around the room. The other five cryo-tubes resided in a small room in the basement, already filled with their now-frozen occupants. On the main screen, Chin looked out at Charley with a worried expression on his face.

"We'll get a rescue mission to return as soon as possible. Over"

Charley shook his head.

"No. We don't have the technology to revive a cryo-frozen human yet. Carry word of our fate, and note that we can wait for centuries if need be. Over"

A twelve-second pause showed the gap between the two of them, and then Chin sighed.

"As you command. We'll carry all the data and your message. It may be a great many decades before anyone gets around to coming back, however. Over"

Charley grinned sardonically.

"Don't worry about it, it's not as if we'll notice the passage of time. Get to Refuge and rejoin your family, Chin. Godspeed. Over"

"May your dreams be peaceful as you enter the long night. I hope it is I who will see you when you awake. Until then, I will name my next son after you. Over"

"I pity him. Get gone, Chin. End of communication."

The screen blanked out and Charley walked over to the cryo-tube. Climbing in, he barely felt the needle deposit its chemical load into him, and by the time the tube closed, he was already asleep and unaware of the hiss of the moonbase venting its air to keep the temperature low enough for the tube to keep its load safely for as long as needed.

For centuries, or more.


	2. Invasion

__

_It is said that once, in the outer circle of the galaxy, in an area all but unpopulated, there lived in splendid isolation a race of beings of a type previously unheard of. Many were their virtues, Warmakers when required, Peaceseekers when sought after, Medics and Inventors beyond comparison, yet disunited. The Galactic Community found this race, called the Makide of Sollthri, and decreed that none should visit their planet, lest they unwittingly warp the underlying structure of this race that promised greatness beyond greatness and benevolence unparalleled.  
_ _The Warrior-race of the planet Zhlanta, however, also discovered the Makide of Sollthri, and also their potential realised. Great was their fear, for the Makide had the potential to be warriors prouder than the Zhlantans. Gathering their mighty fleet, they sent a force of a thousand vessels to destroy the Makide.  
_ _United suddenly by their new enemy, the Makide struck back as soon as the Zhlantan fleet attacked. They sent hundreds of thousands of troops up in primitive rockets, and launched missile after missile at the invaders. Fully nine-tenths of the invaders were destroyed by the strikes, and of the remaining one hundred ships, all but one were captured by the Makide warriors. The final ship, damaged and unable to communicate, managed to escape into the safety of UltraLight, fleeing back to the infinitely larger fleet of the Zhlantan Regime and returning at the head of a fleet innumerable.  
_ _Knowing then that their planet was doomed, the Makide fought to their last, for each Makide vessel destroyed, ten ships the Zhlantans lost, but it was not enough. In their rage, the Zhlantans managed to deliver a killer agent into the air of the planet Sollthri, an agent that destroyed all living flesh. Bereft of home and tribe, the remaining Makide flung themselves into the Zhlantan fleet in berserk rage, destroying ship after ship, until even they were killed, having extracted a terrible toll for the Zhlantan victory, a toll of thirty-nine vessels out of every forty-and-one.  
_ _With their remaining hundred thousand warships damaged, the Zhlantans abandoned the battlefield, leaving the silent planet and floating wrecks as monuments to the war that had been fought, and the fury of those denied a future.  
_ _The rumors persist, however, that some of the Makide survived, and await for their time for vengeance._

Extract from Tales Of The Hidden Past  
Translated by Zkryrger III  
Published 55,816 A.A.

* * *

Preliminary Survey Report X36D9942.  
Probe Ship APS116D33, Flying Shryystalker  
Captain :- Zrakker Tyllania  
Date of Report :- 26:14:55,855  
Star System Designation :- A3(Epsilon)442(Gamma)  
Co-ordinates :- 590/004/26025

Preliminary Solar data as follows:-

1 Star, 10 planets.  
~~Star Type :- XXVT-1800-1  
~~~~Planets I-IV solid planetoids  
~~~~Planets V-VIII Gas-type planets  
~~~~Planet IX solid planetoid (Secondary planetoid in mutual co-rotation)  
~~~~Planet X Gas-type planet (Multiple Gravetic and Dark-matter anomalies noted)

Planet III showing evidence of advanced civilization, now non-active.

Orbit of Planet III filled by wreckage, derelicts and miscellaneous fragments, tentative ID as Zhlantan and Other.

Atmosphere of Planet III contains products consistent with use and degradation of Bio-agent Z-116/TD, known Zhlantan biogenic planetary devastation agent.

Civilization artifacts not incompatible with that claimed to be Makide or Yumas.

Further research authorized.

* * *

**Chapter One**

_F'Linia :- A Class III planet inhabited by the felinoid F'Linians, and the Prime Planet of the F'Linian Empire, F'Linia is noted for the exquisite architecture of its buildings and its tri-annual Martial Games, open to all races, in which contestants prove their skills in carefully-controlled combat.  
The wealth of the F'Linian Empire is based on the unsurpassed deposits of Inkaynian Ore in the planetary asteroid belts, a vital material for the construction of UltraLight Propulsion systems of every known sentient species, with the possible exception of the Technoss.  
The government is based on the trade-guilds and cities, each recognized guild appointing a representative, and each city also appointing one. With the leader selected by lottery from among the public (with only criminals and the mentally ill/retarded excluded), and serving the F'linian monarchy, the F'Linian government is remarkably free of corruption._

\- Extract from the Galactic Encyclopaedia

.

Grrlash Galrraanaa of F'Linia, the last survivor of his family and bloodsworn to avenge them, turned slowly, carefully analyzing the scents that remained in the still air. Slowly edging forwards, he dropped to one knee and examined the ground.

"Party of seven Zhlantans walking, ichor-stains suggest that they are carrying a wounded comrade, but they never rescue the seriously wounded, they kill them instead. What is so different about this one?"

Grrlash straightened up and glanced over at his companion, a mysterious biped encased in silver armour that somehow looked almost alive in its own right. The being's almost-featureless helmet rotated slightly, allowing the blank faceplate to face him.

"What do you think?"

The Legionary looked round again, then replied in a metallic voice.

"Zhlantan Commander."

Grrlash blinked, then nodded as the facts slotted together.

"Right. They're heading for the safety of the nearest Zhlantan outpost, about sixty klecks from here."

"Fifty-seven point six four."

Grrlash nodded at the statement, the ability of the Legions of Technos to know everything even tenuously connected to their mission was accepted by many as if written in a holy book, even if it did unnerve most of the sentients who had to do business with the mysterious beings.

"The track's about four time-marks old judging from the dried ichor, and the footsteps indicate that they're travelling at about two-thirds of their usual speed. That means that they're approximately twelve klecks in front of us. Can any other groups intercept them?"

The Legionary froze, communicating with the other legionaries in a fashion that Grrlash couldn't guess at, a technique that had spawned rumors that the Technoss were a hive-mind organism rather than an actual civilization.

"All relevant patrols currently engaged."

Grrlash didn't waste breath swearing, but instantly started to accelerate. A moment later the Legionary leapt past him and thrust out an arm, forcing him to skid to a halt to avoid being knocked over.

"Damn it, that's a Zhlantan commander! We need to get him to interrogate him, get information!"

"Incorrect."

Grrlash stared at the piece of shaped ceramic that the Legionary had scooped up from the forest floor.

"By the Great Hunter, the Zhlantan Sub-Supreme Commander! What in the name of the Fanged One was he doing out here with only seven guards?"

"Zhlantan wreckage five klecks vector two-seven-one. Zhlantan command-chariot-class carrier. Complement one-six-three."

Grrlash stared at the Legionary again, then tried to sprint off, only to find the Legionary's steel grip holding him back.

"Let me get at him, it's vital! We need the..."

"Get on my back."

Unbelieving, Grrlash stared at the Legionary.

"NOW!"

Unnerved, Grrlash allowed the smaller Legionary to settle him in carry-back style. The Legionary crouched briefly, then leapt.

"Waaaaarrrrrrrrarrrggghhhh"

Grrlash yelled in shock as the Legionary's thruster-boosted leap carried them straight through the lower branches of the canopy. Holding on a tightly as possible with both his arms and legs, Grrlash slitted his eyes against the wind of their passage, trying to avoid unbalancing the Legionary as it covered the ground in enormous leaps and bounds, using tree trunks and branches as landing and launching points, and swinging huge distances on vines. After a rough journey that seemed to take forever, the Legionary landed gently in a large clearing dominated by an arrangement of boulders. Once he was certain that the Legionary was not about to defy gravity (and sanity) again, Grrlash let go and allowed himself to collapse onto the mossy ground. The Legionary stooped, grabbed Grrlash round the waist, then leapt onto the top of the huge stone slab that was supported by a dozen other stones, each twice the height of a normal F'Linian.

"They will come through this clearing in about three sub-marks. Prepare your rifle and stay low."

Grrlash nodded, still unsettled by the ease with which the Legionary had been able to move through the forest despite his weight, and unlimbered his plasma-burst rifle. Peering through the sights, he twisted the control-rings on the extended barrel to select single-fire mode, and thinnest beam focus, thus allowing himself maximum accuracy.

"Aim for the soldiers, the Sub-Supreme Commander will be unable to escape."

Grrlash nodded again and slid almost to the edge of the slab, allowing the foliage that had taken root in the cracks on the edge of the slab to disguise his silhouette. Carefully positioning his rifle under his right shoulder, he started to scan the edge of the forest. Beside him, the Legionary, its armour now a mottled green of various shades, also lay, its helmet the only thing moving, and its rifle also positioned under its right shoulder. Grrlash grinned slightly at the idea that they could be so much alike, despite being so different, then returned his gaze to the forest edge. As he did so, the foliage rustled slightly, then three Zhlantans appeared, arrayed in a combat formation. A moment later two more appeared, carrying what had to be the Sub-Supreme Commander, and then two more Zhlantans brought up the rear.

"Target the aft carrier first, then take the two rearguards."

Grrlash didn't even bother to respond, but instead lifted his rifle slightly, and allowed the crosshairs to drift across to the first target. Both rifles fired as one, and the bearers dropped before they even knew they had been hit. As the other Zhlantans moved in to protect their commander, Grrlash fired again, then had to duck as a return burst of fire almost decapitated him. Rolling sideways, he aimed again, and froze at the sight of a silver blur weaving in and out of the rapidly-falling Zhlantans. Glancing sideways, Grrlash saw only a Technoss-rifle where the Legionary had been. Scooping up the rifle, Grrlash rolled forwards, landing on the sloping ground with minimal impact, in the style that a Technoss Training-commander Legionary had drilled into him near the start of the conflict. Holding both rifles ready to return any surprise fire, he trotted forwards, coming to a halt just beside the Legionary and its unconscious prisoner. Turning, he scanned the forest edge, then turned back.

"We'd better call for transport."

The legionary didn't reply, and an instant later Grrlash heard the muted rumble of a Technoss heli-craft. The rumble grew rapidly and the Technoss craft came to a stop overhead, its streamlined, silver body turning slightly as it reoriented itself. The down-blast of air ruffled Grrlash's fur as the machine descended slowly, a door opening on one side and disgorging another Legionary as the machine landed on its landing skids. Ducking slightly to avoid the rotating gravity-blades above his head, Grrlash climbed into the heli-craft and buckled himself into one of the seats. The two Legionaries, working in disconcerting silence, lifted the Zhlantan stretcher into the craft, strapped it and its moaning occupant down, then sat down in two of the other seats as the door closed, reducing the roar of the energy-based rotors to a mere thrumming. Grrlash closed his eyes and relaxed, allowing the muted rumbling to lull him to sleep as the silver craft flew mere hand spans above the forest.

* * *

.

"Well done, Sergeant Grrlash, you have done very well indeed."

Grrlash stared straight ahead, body tensed at attention as the battalion Commodore rose from her desk and walked round it to stand in front of him.

"High Command are very happy to have gained the third-in-command of the Zhlantan invasion fleet, and wish to promote you to Captain in recognition of your bravery. That will place you in charge of a troop of..."

"No."

The Commodore raised an eyebrow in surprise at his vehemence.

"No? Sergeant, for over a year you have apparently been offered promotion by at least seven other Commodores or Admirals, and in each case you have refused. Why?"

Grrlash closed his eyes briefly.

"I work alone, or with a Legionary. Ever since my family were slain in public by the Zhlantan Supreme Commander, I have fought alone. My rank is unimportant."

The Commodore slowly stalked round him, her gaze examining him minutely, from his black mane to his toe-claws.

"Sergeant, I do not understand. We F'Linians are social creatures, we hunt in prides. Our evolution from the old creatures the Technoss refer to as _khaatt-_ like beings has been led mainly by our ability to form hunting-prides. We use teamwork to bring down our prey, with our prideleader being the one who delivers the killing-bite. Why do you not wish to live up to our glorious history?"

Without waiting for an answer, the Commodore turned away and faced the map on the wall. Only her tail, winding tightly round her legs, indicated the tension she was feeling.

"I suppose it is almost as well that you refused promotion, only a small percentage of us are comfortable interfacing with large numbers of Technoss."

Grrlash blinked in astonishment, then froze as the Commodore turned her head and fixed him with her gaze.

"However, there is another option available to me. You _will_ be promoted, to Captain, on Special Duties. The rank of S.D.C. will allow you to continue working as you have been, and also enable you to call for backup when and where you deem it required. Do not think you can avoid _this_ promotion. Both the High Command and the Technoss Legions have been taking a special interest in you."

Grrlash managed to avoid gasping in shock, and remained rock-steady as the Commodore turned and held out two symbol-tags, each with the emblem of captain, and the circuitry-effect background suggested by the Technoss that denoted that the wearer was on Special Duties, and could therefore overrule the same rank in the regular militia. Reaching out, Grrlash took the tags, bowed and retreated out of the office.

"Congratulations."

Grrlash spun round and sagged with relief at the familiar sight of a Technoss Legionary. As he swapped his new tags for his old ones, he looked at the silver figure.

"I have heard that the Technoss are taking a special interest in me. May I ask why that is?"

"No."

Grrlash grinned in wry amusement, and placed his old tags in a small box fixed onto the wall beside the door for that purpose. Turning, he strode out towards the landing field, with the legionary beside him.

"What is the status of the interrogation of our captive?"

"Completed, new information confirmed and incorporated into battle plans. Better than expected, final phase being mounted in seven planetary revolutions."

Grrlash stumbled at the announcement, and only the lightning-fast reflexes of the legionary prevented him from falling.

"Seven days to the final battle? I thought that it would take another half-year to reach that stage!"

"Seven planetary revolutions. Suggest you get rest and medical checkup, Special Duty Force will rendezvous in three days for briefing and training, you will lead them."

Grrlash frowned.

"We have a Special Duty _Force_? I thought it was just individuals teamed up with legionaries."

"Everything adapts."

With that, the Legionary turned away, leaving Grrlash alone at the doors of the Medcenter.

* * *

.

Grrlash lay on his back, trying to regain his breath. Once he could breathe again, he carefully lifted one hand up to his head, and gingerly felt the edges of the long hole in the helmet he was wearing.

"A finger width down and it would have got me."

"Yes."

Grrlash blinked and turned his head. The legionary was using an optic probe to look over the top of the smoking boulder at the large hulking fortress that was the final stronghold of the invading Zhlantans. Small flickers of light reflected off its armor, light that showed the ferocity of the battle raging above the atmosphere.

"Any movement?"

"Not anymore."

Grrlash nodded at the metallic reply, and cautiously pulled himself closer to the now slightly-reduced boulder, carefully not looking at the upper portion where a laser had punched through it and come within a fraction of killing him. Removing his helmet, he noted that only the inner padding remained intact, and that barely.

"How long until we can attack?"

"Seventeen Technoss-minutes."

Grrlash nodded again, not even having to perform the time-calculations to transform Technoss-timelength into local timelength, the relative simplicity of the Technoss-time had made it into the timeframe of choice among much of the Galaxy, and the official spoken language of the Technos Legions, with its incredible flexibility and subtle nuances had been almost universally adopted as the trade-language of the Galactic Alliance. He turned back to the Legionary.

"We could sure use an air strike about now."

As if in answer to his statement, a low growl of atmospheric engines rose from his left. Both Grrlash and the Legionary turned to look, and were rewarded by the sight of three sparkling dots cresting the horizon. A moment later, however, the Legionary tensed.

"Zhlantans!"

Grrlash squinted, and finally saw the arrangement of the five wings that marked the fighters as belonging to the Zhlantans, the two largest backswept wings were horizontal, two smaller but thicker foreswept wings were attached under the fuselage, doubling as weapons pylons, and the final wing rose straight up, allowing its embedded sensors maximum range. The weapons wings sparkled, and a second later a veritable mass of smoke marked the activation of missile engines. The Legionary unslung its laser-rifle and started to shoot at the incoming missiles, other rising energy blasts from around the battlefield indicated that the other Legionaries had had the same idea. Grrlash unslung his Energy-Pulse Plasma Rifle and also started to shoot at the incoming swarm. Even as the first explosions marked the incredible level of marksmanship by the Technos Legionaries, the incoming fighters retaliated with a barrage of laser fire that raked the forest, creating trails of destruction.

"This was not what I had in mind!" snarled Grrlash as he took aim.

"The fighters are shielded. Take the missiles."

Grrlash nodded acknowledgement of the Legionary's calm statement, and concentrated on the last group of missiles. A sudden bloom of light marked their demise, barely a half-klick away from their intended victims. A second burst of light heralded the demise of one of the three Zhlantan fighters, and the other two split and vectored away at high speed. A split second later, a tri-winged Technoss-fighter and a dart-shaped F'linian fighter-craft raced by overhead, rolling to avoid the sporadic fire from the fortress as they chased the fleeing Zhlantans.

"How long?"

"Seven minutes."

"Here."

Grrlash spun round, and came face-to-mask with a second legionary who was proffering a new helmet. Nodding gratefully, he accepted it, then watched in amazement as the silver exo-armour of the Legionary turned mottled green and brown as it moved away, effectively rendering it invisible against the background. Blinking in amazement, he donned the new helmet, then placed the old one on a stick and slowly lifted it above the boulder.

It exploded as a laser bolt hit it.

Grrlash dropped the stick and glanced at the Legionary.

"Six minutes. Weapon check suggested."

Grrlash propped himself against the boulder and started to check his weapons, a ritual he always went through before any major operation. First he checked his belt-mounted laser pistols, snapping them open and blowing away any dirt that had found its way inside. Pausing only to test and clean his boot-knives and wrist-daggers, he removed the power-pack from his Plasma Rifle and replaced it after checking the alignment of the plasma-acceleration coils. Placing it by his side, he then reverently drew the Technoss-blade that had replaced his original Bloodsword after it had shattered against a Zhlantan Plasmablade. Pulling out a small square of expensive Technoss-silk, he carefully wiped it across the blade before touching a small button on the hilt-guard. The edges of the blade glowed blue with energy and the air smelt of ozone as the blade cut the molecules in the air. Pressing the button twice, he watched as the sword resumed its original appearance before returning it to its recharge-scabbard on his back.

"Two minutes."

Grrlash nodded and rose into a crouch, gathering up his rifle. The legionary tapped him on his shoulder.

"Once we attack, stay behind me. I have a personal Energy-shield that will protect us from enemy light laser fire without blocking ours."

Grrlash nodded, his mind reeling in shock at the offhand demonstration of the superior technology of the Technoss Legions. No other race in the Galaxy had personal polarised energy shields, most had dismissed the idea as impossible until the Technoss had appeared.

"One minute."

Grrlash snapped out of his shocked reverie and gathered himself, pausing only to check the group of mixed F'Linian Special Duties soldiers and Technoss Legionaries ensconced in the dip behind them. To his total lack of surprise they had already arranged themselves into small groups, with the Legionaries arrayed in front of the F'Linians. Turning back, he sidled to the lower end of the boulder, the Legionary just beside him.

"Thirty seconds."

To his right, a sudden crashing marked the appearance of a shielded Concussion-Cannon-toting Technoss Hovertank. Grrlash was forced to look away as its shields sparked and flashed under a sudden storm of laserfire from the fortress, but not before he saw the heavy-duty power cable plugged into its aft, obviously powering the shield projector systems to prevent the tank from being overwhelmed.

"Ten."

Grrlash gathered himself and balanced his rifle under one arm, his finger resting lightly on the trigger.

"Five... Four... Three... Two... One... GO!"

As one, every single Legionary surged forwards as the Cannon boomed, the projectile smashing through shields designed to deflect energy, and slicing through the outer wall before exploding. With a roar that rivalled that of the cannon, the entire wall exploded, the rubble was blasted out by the expansion of the superheated air inside the fortress. Over half of the occupants of the fortress lay still, either dead or disabled, the others struggled to their feet, ignoring the cries of the maimed and injured. Grrlash, close behind the Legionary, unleashed burst after burst from his rifle, cutting down Zhlantan after Zhlantan in the few seconds before they regained their wits and swarmed out in a desperate counterattack, lasers flaring and swordstaffs waving. The two sides met with a roar and a clash, and Grrlash found himself in the midst of chaos. Dodging a mortally-wounded Zhlantan, Grrlash drew and activated his sword in a single fluid motion, moving to block a Zhlantan Plasmablade and striking with a counter that cleaved the Zhlantan from head to sternum.

"Zkkhrakkhtahllakkhjk!"

Grrlash's head snapped round at the sound of the Zhlantan war command. Tracking it back to its source, he spotted a larger than average Zhlantan, one instantly recognisable despite the armour that it wore. Altering course, Grrlash homed in on the commander who had personally slain his father and his life-mate, his Technoss-blade pulsing with deadly energy mirroring his own rage. The Zhlantan, though, saw him coming, and activated his own plasmablade. Leaping into the rapidly expanding area round the commander, Grrlash snarled and swung the blade with blurring speed.

The commander blocked it.

His blood boiling with anger, Grrlash ducked the riposte, rolling to one side before lunging forwards. The commander dodged backwards, slashing across with the move that had shattered Grrlash's Bloodsword. The two blades, one energy-bonded plasma held by a central spike, the other an unknowable alloy charged with energy, met with a sonic-crash that echoed across the battlefield

The Technoss-blade held.

Again Grrlash swung the blade, this time aiming for the midsection, but as the commander moved to block it, he altered the swing, slamming the blade into the neck of the commander, shearing off his head. The commander spasmed in death, his blade slamming into the rear of Grrlash's helmet, shattering it and the skull beneath.

Black.

* * *

.

Grrlash fought to open his eyes, finally succeeding in opening one of them. His ears picked up distorted sounds.

_"He's awake. How is that possible? The medication should have kept him under for another two weeks!"_

Turning his throbbing head slightly, Grrlash tried to focus on the strangely familiar yet somehow distorted silver shape in front of him.

_"He needs more time to heal. Sedate him again."_

_"As ordered."_

He felt a slight surge in his left arm as a tube pulsed, then everything faded into darkness again

Black.

* * *

.

Grrlash's eyes opened more easily, and he realized that he was floating in an upright tube. In front of him stood the familiar silver figure again, slightly obscured by the fluidic motion.

_"He's awake again."_

_"I know. He's healed faster than we expected."_

_"Can we decant him now?"_

_"Best to wait another three days."_

Grrlash tried to open his mouth to protest, then the tube deposited its chemical load in his arm and the world faded out once more.

Black.

* * *

.

Grrlash's eyes snapped open and he yanked the tube from out of his left arm before it could be used to send him to sleep again. Kicking hard, he swam to the top of the tube, and hauled himself out, pausing only to rip the breathing mask off his face. He tried to stand up and staggered, but a pair of arms caught him and led him to a seat before draping a robe round him.

"Be seated. You have been in the healing tank for over three weeks, and your muscles have started to atrophy."

Grrlash fought to focus as the metallic voice continued.

"When we brought you aboard, you were nearly dead. We had to virtually rebuild the entire back third of your head, including the neural pathways."

Shock flooded through Grrlash, sweeping tiredness away in an instant. He stared at the figure in front of him, recognizing it as the legionary he had been paired with.

"You rebuilt my neural pathways?!" he gasped. "That's impossible!"

The legionary tilted its head to one side.

"Either we rebuilt your hindbrain and skull, or you are dead and in a very strange afterlife. Personally, I'd believe that I was alive, if I was you."

Grrlash nodded slowly.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"The Solar Warrior, in orbit behind the sixth moon of F'linia." came the unemotional metallic reply.

Grrlash stared at the legionary, his jaw dropping in shock. The _Solar Warrior_ , the semi-mythical mothership of the Legions of Technoss. The ship longer by an entire factor than any other ship ever built, and which could apparently hold more than the entire defense force of any planet in its forward hangar bays alone. And he was on it.

The legionary placed a warm container in Grrlash's hands.

"Drink this."

Grrlash lifted the container to his mouth and drank the odd-tasting liquid, relaxing slightly as its warmth seemed to seep into his bones. The legionary took the empty container and placed it on a nearby shelf before returning and effortlessly lifting Grrlash to his feet.

"Why am I here?"

"Recovery. The medical facilities at F'linia were unable to deal with the casualties of war, so we brought them here for major reconstruction before shipping them back to the planet, unaware that they ever left."

Grrlash frowned.

"Then why tell me where I am?"

The legionary steadied him and guided him out into a corridor teeming with armoured figures of many shapes and sizes, some of them in configurations resembling the major species of the Galactic Alliance of Sentient Species, others with configurations so unusual that he could not even begin to guess at their anatomy, a few carrying floating stretchers between them on which lay a sleeping F'Linian, each with a complex breathing apparatus over his or her face. Several of the Legionaries slowed as they passed him, turning their featureless heads as if examining him.

"You will find out tomorrow. For now, we have placed a suite aside for you, so that you may rest and recover without us having to sedate you."

Grrlash tried to glance sharply at the Legionary supporting him, but his eyes still refused to focus properly. Unfazed, the Legionary guided him into a large lift, which closed and started to move in response to some command that Grrlash could not perceive.

"What happens tomorrow?"

The Legionary remained silent.

"I said, what happens to me tomorrow?"

The lift stopped moving and opened onto a smaller hallway, carpeted with soft blue fabric. The Legionary guided him out of the lift and down the hall, coming to a stop outside a door which slid open. Half-carrying him inside, the Legionary waved its free hand over a recessed panel next to the door, and the lights activated. Blinking, Grrlash managed to focus on the room, noting the computer-station and the two doors leading off to the left.

"This is your suite. Sleeping garments are on the bed in this room here, should you require them, and your uniform will be delivered tomorrow morning. Should you require food, just press here and say what food you require, it will be provided from this slot. The computer-station is both voice and touch-activated. The refresher is through this door, the equipment is similar to that which you are used to. I will leave you now. Please do not try to leave the suite until you are called."

As Grrlash finally managed to stand unaided, the Legionary exited. A low-toned beep marked the locking of the door. Moving slowly, Grrlash crossed the room to the food-dispenser and pressed the indicated area.

"Grazer-meat and vegetable stew, with extra Karralan-spice."

After a few seconds, a small shelf extended from the machine, bearing a tray on which a bowl stood, containing the steaming stew. Next to the bowl was a strange item resembling a smaller bowl with a short stick attached. Shrugging, Grrlash lifted the bowl and drank the stew, relishing the tang of the Karralan. Putting the bowl back down, he walked across to the computer station and carefully sat down in front of it. As if sensing his presence, the screens and touchpads lit up. Grrlash looked at the unfamiliar controls, then spoke.

"Computer, Display map of room."

The main screen lit up with a top-down view of the room behind him.

"Good, now display map of deck."

" _This information is restricted._ "

Grrlash nodded slowly.

"Cancel last request. Please show me any available information about the Technoss that is not classified."

" _Galactic Report, Civilisation 11A3-Sigma-5, Technoss, Civilization technical level 87 (Estimated), basic type of civilization, paramilitary (theoretical only, no proof).  
"Year of contact (First), 55,813 A.A, location, Planet Technosia (Sigma-Delta-996339-Epsilon, Off-limits to non-Technoss life-forms).  
"Diplomatic relations (limited) opened in 55,814 A.A. First Technoss/Zhlantan war, 55,815A.A. to 55,817A.A. Zhlantans forced to relinquish seven star systems. Star systems subsequently released to Galactic Alliance.  
"Second Technoss/Zhlantan war 55,820A.A. to 55,825 A.A. Zhlantans forced to concede fifteen star systems. Star systems subsequently released to Galactic Alliance.  
"Technoss hired by Tillilakh Sector to repel Zhlantan invasion fleet in 55,827 A.A. Zhlantans repulsed with 99.9% casualties.  
"55,830 A.A, Technoss publicly confirm military assistance is negotiable for defense purposes._

_"Known facts about Technoss Legionaries:-_

_"Average Height :- 2.9 Distance Units.  
_ _"Average Weight :- Unknown  
_ _"Appendages :- 2 locomotion (Normal), 2 manipulatory (Normal)  
_ _\- Multiple deviations confirmed.  
_ _"Genders :- Unknown  
_ _"Biological base :- Unknown (Suspected Carbon-base, unsubstantiated)  
_ _"Bio-theorem :- Multi-form lifespan with major structural/biological changes.  
_ _"Societal Structure:- Unknown (Suspected Hive-Mind, unsubstantiated)_

_"End of report."_

Grrlash sighed in vexation. The information on the screen was exactly the same as was available publicly. Even the notoriously hostile Zhlantans had a larger file, this one was barely one thousandth the size of the next smallest. Shutting off the screen, he stalked into the bedroom, shed his robe, donned the trousers that were on the bed and lay down on the over-soft bunk. Closing his eyes, he fell asleep.

.

"Grrlash Galrraanaa."

Grrlash's eyes snapped open and he reflexively somersaulted off the bed, landing in a hunters crouch. Scanning the room, his gaze came to rest on the silver form of a Legionary.

"Prepare yourself."

With that, the Legionary exited the suite. leaving Grrlash confused. Straightening up, he walked through to the Refresher, and activated the shower. Instead of a rain of water, however, a holographic silver disc rose up from the platform. Reaching out experimentally, he let the disc touch his hand, then he removed it and examined it. It was totally clean. Once the disc had vanished, he stepped on the platform and activated the shower again. Once again the silver disc rose, and he felt its tingle as it somehow removed all the dirt from his skin. As it lifted to his head, he closed his eyes and felt the tingling flow over his face. Stepping out of the shower, he grinned at himself in the mirror, and noted that his teeth were slightly dirty. Looking below the mirror at he saw a brush, a comb and a device that he could not identify. Picking it up, he walked out of the bathroom and over to the computer, which obediently powered up.

"Computer, what is the purpose of this device?"

The computer emitted a small beam of light which played over the device, then a diagram of it appeared on the screen, under the caption "Oral Hygiene."

Leaning closer, Grrlash scanned the accompanying text, then nodded in belated understanding. Returning to the bathroom, he activated the device and manipulated it so that the small field it emitted cleaned his teeth until they sparkled. Grinning at himself again, he used the brush to get his mane under control, swept back in a style that made him look more like a warrior, before once more moving into the main room, where he found his mended uniform laid out over a chair. Changing rapidly, he allowed himself a brief pang of disappointment that they had found all the weapons in it, both the overt and covert, before striding across to the door, which hissed open. He nodded to the legionary that was standing in front of the door.

"I am ready."

The legionary nodded and motioned for Grrlash to follow. As he exited the room, Grrlash ducked to dodge a floating device that zoomed past him and then spun round to point at him.

"Mobile laser cannon?"

The Legionary turned its head towards the device, as it was joined by another.

"Remote-control camera. You are something of a celebrity among us. It has been twelve Cycles since the last person given the Choice."

Grrlash glanced at the proliferating cameras as they followed him, mind awhirl with shock at what the Legionary had let slip, both then and before.

"Technoss," he began, "Is more than one race, isn't it?"

The legionary tensed slightly, but didn't reply.

"The rumors of Technoss possessing a Hive-mind are also just that, rumors. Unless..."

The Legionary suddenly stopped in front of an ornate door, which slowly opened, revealing a dark hall of unknown size, pitch black except for a thin cone of light. At the Legionary's gesture, Grrlash strode forwards into the cone of light and stopped. Behind him, the door closed, and twelve new spotlights flared into life, each one illuminating a Legionary in armor more complex than any that he had seen before, and all of them were in a semicircle, with him at the focus. He stared at them, then eleven of the lights dimmed.

"Grrlash Galrraanaa of F'Linia."

Grrlash turned slightly to face the Legionary in the brightest spotlight.

"We, of the Legions of Technoss, have been observing you more closely than you may think, and we have been very impressed with what we have seen."

The light dimmed and another spotlight brightened slightly. Another voice spoke, and Grrlash turned slightly to face the speaker.

"Despite your losses, you have fought with honor and dignity, proving yourself a true warrior. Now, it is time to Choose."

"Choose what?" asked Grrlash.

The Legionary made a small gesture.

"Us, or F'Linia. A new life, or a return with no memory of what passed on this vessel. Ask what you will, for you must make your Choice in the full knowledge of what your Choice will mean."

Grrlash straightened slightly.

"What is the state of my homeworld?"

"F'Linia is recovering. The Legions are aiding it, rebuilding its infra-structure, boosting and reconstructing its eco-system, scouring the Galaxy for the lost escape-ships, bringing in foodstuffs and agricultural machinery and organizing new trade-missions for F'Linia. F'Linia will recover under our protection, and we believe that within twelve Galactic Years, it will be ready to stand by itself again, without our protection."

"Can I make a difference?"

"If you return, you will be hailed as a hero, and the saviour of F'Linia. "

"But will I make a difference?"

The twelve legionaries seemed to look at each other before the one on the right replied to his question.

"With you to rally them, they may recover about half a Galactic Year earlier than if they believe you to be a Martyr."

Grrlash nodded slowly.

"And if I stay?"

One of the Legionaries moved slightly, calling Grrlash's attention to him.

"You will become one of many, engaged in combat after combat. You will remain anonymous outside the Legions, but well-known inside them. You will learn new combat methods that you have never encountered before, how to use weapons you have barely dreamed of."

"So I will not be a hero."

"No."

Grrlash frowned slightly before asking his next question.

" _What_ are you? What species is the Technoss?"

All the spotlights suddenly de-activated, and for a split-second Grrlash was afraid that he had just signed his own death-warrant. Before he could move, however, a screen suddenly appeared in front of him, a screen with the image of the famed researcher Zkryrger III. Zkryrger III blinked his seven eyes at the screen, then inserted a dozen of his smaller tentacles into his custom-built voder unit.

 _"To the sentient being watching this recording, greetings. You are in a similar position to that which I was once in, asked to Choose. I chose to serve Technoss in secret, and in return I learned much about them, much that I could never have guessed, or uncovered, no matter how much I tried. I will tell you the important things that I learned, the things that I can never tell the Galactic Alliance.  
_ _"In the distant past, over two thousand Galactic Years ago, the Zhlantans discovered the existence of a race with the potential to unite the factions of the Galactic Alliance, and forge it into a true Alliance, uniting the races in all major matters. Since a truly-united Galactic Alliance would have spelled the end for the possibility of expansion for the Zhlantans, they launched an attack on the race in question, the Humans of Earth, also known as Mankind, of Sol Three. Four entire Stellar-Fleets descended on the Humans, decimating them. The Humans, however, responded with tactics beyond anything that the Zhlantans could conceive, and a savagery that terrified them. Of over a thousand battle-cruisers to descend on Earth, most were destroyed, a hundred were captured and only one vessel escaped, barely able to get beyond Lightspeed and unable to call for help.  
_ _"The Humans knew that the Zhlantans would return, so they evacuated Earth. Over eleven billion people left Earth, in an almost inconceivable feat of ship-building and organisation. Five million volunteers remained, to prevent the Zhlantans from realizing what had happened, and to act as a rearguard, to extract a high price for the Zhlantan's apparent victory. The five million, or the True-Guard as they were later known as, fought the next Zhlantan armada with savagery beyond savagery, and bravery beyond bravery. For each True-Guard that died, over a thousand Zhlantans were killed. After ten Galactic Days of solid combat, the Zhlantans managed to poison Earth with a bio-agent designed to liquidize any organic thing, alive or dead. The remaining True-Guards hurled themselves into final combat, destroying many Zhlantan vessels to ensure that the chosen messenger escaped to tell the other Humans about the final fall of Earth.  
_ _"The Humans vowed that they would destroy the Zhlantan Regime, and do so that the Zhlantans did not know their true enemy. Over the next two thousand Galactic Years, the Humans colonized a remote star-cluster and created new technology never-before seen or imagined, armoured suits, gravity manipulation, new weaponry and unprecedented inter-stellar star-portals large enough to allow the largest ships to go from one star-system to another in a matter of seconds.  
_ _"They also encountered new races, new civilizations, and made alliances with them. Eventually, they colonized a planet that was due to be discovered by the expanding Galactic Alliance, and used the apparent discovery to enter the Galactic stage, thus allowing them to pursue their vendetta."_

Zkryrger III paused for a minute before continuing.

_"I volunteered to join Technoss as an agent when my research suggested a link between the Makide of Sollthri and the Legions of Technoss. What I learned exhilarated me beyond description, and terrified me almost to death, but I do not regret my decision. Now you know the information that you require. Choose wisely, sentient."_

The screen faded and the twelve spotlights re-illuminated the Technoss leaders, but they had all removed their helmets. Looking at them, Grrlash noted that six of them were a species that he had never seen before, obviously the Humans. Of the other six, two were from the major species of the Galactic Alliance, three were beings that he had never seen before, while the sixth was a F'linian like himself, recognizable despite his scars. Noting Grrlash's reaction, the F'linian smiled wryly.

"You know who I am." he stated.

"Gaaraal Haarraakka. Hero of the Pirate Wars." said Grrlash shakily. "You were reported dead, but your body was never found, and now I see why."

Gaaraal nodded slowly.

"The Technoss located the wreckage of my ship, and risked themselves to rescue and heal me."

Grrlash looked round at the rest of the Council before returning his gaze to Gaaraal.

"Tell me one thing, do you have any regrets?"

Gaaraal closed his eyes briefly.

"A great many. My wife and cublings believe that I am dead, as does my home planet. I cannot return without placing the Legions in danger, or show my face outside the Legions. However, I can protect my homeworld better now than if I was still there."

Grrlash nodded slowly.

"So you are the reason that the Legions mounted their first expedition before the Zhlantans could begin their pacification measures."

Gaaraal nodded slowly, then looked at the largest of the Humans, a bulky male with space-black skin, who nodded before speaking.

"Grrlash Galrraanaa of F'Linia. Do you wish to ask more questions, or are you willing to make your choice?"

Grrlash closed his eyes and composed himself.

"I will make my choice now."

A small platform extruded itself from the floor and extended to waist level. On it were two symbols, the one on the left the symbol of F'Linia, a stylized shadow-profile of a snarling F'Linian head against the background of a green and blue map of F'Linia, on the right, the symbol of the Legions, a glowing silver sword hilt-down, bisecting a stylized golden Legionary helmet.

"Place your hand on the symbol of the path you Choose." intoned the black human, then all the lights vanished, leaving only the two symbols apparently floating in midair. Grrlash closed his eyes briefly, reached out a hand, and firmly pressed one of the two symbols.

Black.


	3. Rookie

_Solar Warrior :- Supposedly the flagship of the Technoss, and possibly the nexus of its supposed hive-mind, the very existence of the Solar Warrior was the cause of heated academic debate throughout the Galactic Alliance for centuries. Although no reliable sensor data of this vessel had ever been recorded prior to the events known as_ The Return _, several highly-respected pilots have claimed to have seen it in asteroid fields or in deep space.  
All the sightings agreed that the vessel is at least a hundred Klecks long, over ten times larger than any known non-Technoss ship.  
The name comes from what one pilot claims to have seen painted in the side in symbols a hundred distance-units high, although the translation of the twelve symbols he scrawled has been hotly contested, with Zkryrger III insisting on Solar Warrior, and Jkkrttkk of Zhlanta insisting on Power Seeker (Jhkralraazta in Zhlantan).  
Although the details differ in several minor respects, all the accounts agreed that the ovoid ship is large enough to contain several planetary-defense fleets. Tellingly, the Technoss Legions themselves had neither confirmed nor denied the existence of this ship prior to _The Return _. Since then, the data recorded by the ships that witnessed_ The Return _has undergone more examination than any other piece of data known to exist._

\- Extract from the Galactic Encyclopaedia

.

"The Solar Warrior is the first and so far the only Galacticly-suspected Legion Command Ship. All of the Command Ships are prefaced by the word Solar. The other completed Command Ships are the Solar Defender, Guardian, Sentinel, Champion, Warden and Avenger, in order of construction. Each ship is seventy-five Earth-miles long, or one-twenty Earth-klicks, and is fifty miles wide, or eighty klicks. Each Command Ship is always protected by twelve Destroyer-class Battle-cruisers and a veritable armada of smaller ships. The Legion Command Ships are only minimally armed, with a weapon/mass ratio far lower than many legitimate trading heavy-freighters, this is why each ship is so heavily protected. Each Command Ship carries a crew of almost a million crew, and an equal number of dependents and other civilians.  
"The Command Ship is in essence a giant spacegoing spacedock, capable of building new vessels, and erecting new dimensional-warp portals as well as acting as a traditional combat headquarters. Just to make it interesting, each Command Ship has its own smaller dimension-portal mounted in its bow, thus enabling it to call for and receive almost unlimited backup instantly."

Grrlash stared at the color hologram of the Solar Warrior, noting the concave depression in the bow, which was a cunningly concealed StarPortal that could transport any ship up to nine miles wide. The image faded and was replaced by that of a smaller vessel with a more streamlined appearance.

"This is one of the Destroyer-class Battle-cruisers, the ship that many think of when they hear the word Technoss. At the moment we have three-thousand of them in active service or being repaired. Ten miles long, each Destroyer-class Cruiser is designed round a primary weapon, a beam that is fired from a central shaft that runs the entire length of the ship. The Primary Beam, as we call it, can penetrate any shield, or render an entire continent uninhabitable. However, once fired, it takes over two hours to recharge and repair, since the beam's intensity overwhelms the cooling systems, rendering them temporarily unusable.  
"Apart from the Primary Beam, each Destroyer features multiple banks of laser cannons and DEMP Guns, some of which are mounted on special rotation-units that encircle the nose, aft and midsection of the ship, thus giving it the ability to fire a wall of energy at a specific target."

Once again the image changed.

"At five miles long, the Shield-Class Battle-cruiser is the biggest ship capable of planetary landing and take-off. This is why it is designed round a delta-shape rather than a ovoid like the Command and Destroyer-Class ships. Despite its size it is surprisingly agile and can slip through gaps less than half a mile wide.  
"With its four banks of guns on the dorsal and ventral delta lines, as well as the edge-mounted guns, these ships are exceedingly well armed. Devoted to combat, fully three-quarters of each ship is devoted to power-generation, shielding and engines, and each one can hold a full wing of attack-fighters.

"At one mile long are the Spear-class ships. Also holding a full wing of attack-fighters, these ships are the fastest and most agile capital-sized ships we have. Able to pull full-9G turns and 12.5G acceleration due to their enhanced gravity-compensators and tensor fields, they are relatively lightly armed, relying on their ability to hit-and-run.

"The Sword and Dagger ships are too small, at half and a quarter-mile respectively, to be truly classed as capital-sized, but they have a higher weapon/mass ratio than any other ship except for attack-fighters, which they almost equal in speed. These Combat-Vessels, as they are called, are optimized for agility and accuracy, both of which are exceedingly useful in combat. The Sword can carry a squadron of Attack-fighters, the Dagger lacks the space for an internal hangar bay."

Grrlash nodded as the legionary looked up from her lectern, her green eyes meeting his briefly.

"The shuttles, support craft, attack-fighters and so on you already know, from the battles on and over F'linia. Any questions?"

"Not at present." said Grrlash.

The legionary, who had introduced herself as Mariah Starborn, smiled.

"Good. Then that is the end of this lecture. Additional data will be forwarded to your room-terminal, the tests will come later. For now, come with me."

Grrlash stood up, and fell in beside her, easily modifying his own pace to match hers as she strode down the seemingly-endless hallways of the ship, the lights glinting off her armor. Once again he marveled at how different the Legionaries seemed without their helmets. As he watched her, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

"You're the legionary who partnered me during the capture of the Zhlantan sub-commander, the final assault, and who was with me when I was recovering, aren't you?"

Mariah stumbled, then turned to face him, her eyes filled with a mixture of shock and curiosity.

"Yes, I am. How did you know?"

As they started to walk again, Grrlash pondered his answer.

"Body language, how you walk, as if tracking something, the way you clench your paws when you move, other small signs like that."

Mariah nodded slowly.

"Very good. You are very observant. Not even I could do that."

Grrlash frowned.

"But then how do you cope in the field, if you, I mean if _we_ are all encased in full armor?"

"Once you get your armor, I'll show you."

.

Grrlash looked doubtfully at the suit of armor on the power-charge stand in front of him. Although all the limbs were the right length and the joints were in the correct locations, the armor-plating arrangement effectively negated any chance that he would be recognized as a F'linian once he had donned it. Walking round, he noted the tail-armor, equipped with a set of small blades arrayed on the end.

"Here is your neuro-link suit." said Mariah, holding out a garment of black fabric. "It has been specifically tailored to your measurements and bio-requirements, it is heat-controlled and can provide us with full med-readings if required. You can change behind that screen if you have any body-taboos."

Grrlash nodded, took the garment and walked to behind the shoulder-high screen. Removing his garments, he placed them on a small shelf and tried to don the N-suit.

"It's rather tight."

Mariah nodded.

"Yes, it has to be, to read the bio-energy signature of the nerves that control your muscles. It's the only adequate non-invasive way to provide a true link to the power armor."

Grrlash managed to don the suit, and fasten it without snagging any of his fur. He looked down, and smiled slightly.

"At least it has modesty padding."

"Ah." Mariah looked embarrassed. "That's actually for the waste-systems. You may need to adjust..." She stopped speaking, flushing bright red. Grrlash nodded.

"Already done."

Mariah blushed harder, then motioned to the nearby tech, who activated a sequence of controls on the console in front of him. The armor suddenly split down the sides of its torso, the front part leaning forward. Maria put on her helmet and motioned to the exo-suit.

"Use the handles on the frame to lower yourself into the suit, making sure that your legs and tail go into the correct sections. Once settled, lean forwards and place your arms into the suit's arms, and we'll close the suit."

Grrlash followed her instructions, and the suit closed, fitting him as snugly as a second skin. Mariah reached out and placed a helmet on his head.

"I can't see!"

"Hold on."

Suddenly the room flickered back into view. Grrlash looked round, then realized that he was actually seeing it as an image on a screen mounted on the inside of the helmet. Experimentally he lifted his hands to in front of him and wriggled his fingers, watching as the power-gauntlets moved. Extending his claws, he jolted as metallic claws extended from the gauntlet fingertips and from the back-handplate. He relaxed his claw-muscles, and the metallic claws retracted smoothly. Looking up, he spotted the armoured figure of Mariah, and tilted his head slightly.

"What is it?"

"I can see you, inside your helmet. I can actually see your face. How?"

"These suits are designed to swap information using a type of resonance-radiation that only the Technoss know about. Using it, we can transmit information to each other, and link the optic systems of the suits to the optic sensors of other suits for recon, secondary targeting and, most importantly, recognition. You can see my face, I can see yours, and we can see each others names superimposed on our respective torsos, and rank symbols on our arms. I can see the trainee emblem on yours, you can see the emblem of Lieutenant-Commander on mine. These symbols simply do not exist for non-Technoss personnel, so they assume that we are all equal in rank, and help us to maintain the fiction of a hive-mind."

Grrlash nodded in belated understanding, then tried to walk forwards. His feet skidded on the floor, and he extended his foot-claws to try to get some traction.

"Hold on, Tech, release him from the frame."

Grrlash dropped a fraction of an inch as the frame disengaged, and over-corrected, sending himself tumbling. Trying to recover his balance, he only managed to collide with the wall.

"Your strength has been multiplied by ten, and your speed increased by fifty percent. Go slow, and get used to the suit."

Grrlash slowly levered himself to his feet, and took a slow step forwards, feeling the suit move with him so fluidly that he couldn't tell where he stopped and the suit began. Taking another step, he began to flex his joints, testing the suit's range of motion. Turning, he took a step forwards, and jumped over the frame, landing lightly on one foot, and turning it into a roll-and-twist that ended with him in a hunter's crouch.

"Impressive." said Mariah. "You seem to have taken to it. Do you want a larger space to practice in?"

Striding across the room, she palmed open a second door which opened to a room almost a mile long. Grrlash moved forwards, carefully restraining his natural impulse to leap through the door, as it would have probably resulted in a new access point to the deck above, and paused, looking across the large area. Mariah moved past him and effortlessly leaped further than he could ever have done without his suit. Grrlash grinned, gathered himself, and launched himself past her. Somersaulting, he landed lightly, allowing himself to assume the hunter's crouch before he straightened up, laughing.

* * *

.

The crash reverberated from the walls of the room as Grrlash slammed down onto the floor-padding. Catching sight of the descending opponent, Grrlash rolled sideways and used his superior musculature to flip himself back onto his feet, just in time to receive a foot in the midsection. Slamming into the padded wall, Grrlash rebounded towards his opponent, who effortlessly flipped him into the air and slammed him back down onto the mat before rolling him over and grabbing his arm, twisting it behind his back and effectively immobilizing him.

"Do you yield?" inquired the tiny human as he continued to apply pressure. In reply Grrlash hit the floor-padding to signify his surrender. The small man slowly released Grrlash's hand and stepped back as Grrlash levered himself back to his feet. Grrlash looked at the man in awe, despite the fact that he didn't even reach Grrlash's upper arms, he had proven himself a vastly superior fighter.

"How did you _do_ that to me?"

The man smiled, his F'Linian-angled eyes creasing slightly at the corners.

"Is ancient Human fighting art known as Bujitsu, collective Martial Arts. To gain right to wear Star-Belt, must master at least fifty of seventy recognized combat styles, unarmed _and_ with specific weapons. Myself, only style cannot do is Sumo, do not have build for it, but have trained in all the others, achieving Black-Belt Sensei-status in all, allowing me to accept this."

Grrlash glanced at the belt tied round the trainer's waist, noting the silver stars embroidered into the black material. Looking up, he looked at the left panel of the small man's _Gi_ , noting the rectangle of complex designs embroidered in black, and the startling white gap in the middle.

"Would that gap represent Sumo?"

The small man grinned, showing all five of his teeth.

"Ah, that is so. Like you, I do. If you agree, take you as my student, I will, and train you in the Arts!"

Grrlash bowed deeply.

"I would be honored if you would teach me."

The small man bowed back to him.

"No, I am honored, to have a student who has Chosen."

* * *

.

Grrlash carefully placed his tray down on the table in the room known as the Mess Hall (despite the fact that it was very tidy), then collapsed onto the seat.

"Hard day?"

Grrlash didn't even bother to look up at the familiar voice, he just waved for Mariah to sit down next to him. Out of the corner of his eye he watched her gracefully lower herself onto the seat before replying.

"You could say that."

Maria raised an eyebrow, and then produced a sheet of plas-paper.

"The Examiners were impressed by your performance, Grrlash. Only here for a hundred days, and yet you managed to ace every test normally given at the end of the three years of basic training."

"I just wish that I could impress Master Takashi."

Mariah managed to stifle a laugh.

"Is he still giving you a hard time?"

Grrlash tilted his head slightly to look at her.

"I learned many of the fighting styles on F'Linia, and they have provided me with a good base for learning. I decided that every 'day off' that I have, I should use to hone my skills. Somehow, Master Takashi found out about my practices and showed up on my third 'day off' to give me full-day one-on-one tuition in the areas I'm apparently deficient at during the normal lessons."

"And how are you doing?"

Grrlash gave her a baleful glare and growl, then picked up his bowl and drained it. He put it down, then started as Takashi sat down opposite him.

"To answer your question, Mariah Starborn, Grrlash Galrraanaa has tendency to use brute strength and rely on speed and agility rather than technique. On other hand, his strength allows him use techniques of Sumo, so there is hope that in decade or two he may yet prove worthy of StarBelt."

Takashi rose, bowed and walked off, leaving Mariah wide-eyed and open-mouthed in shock.

"You must be incredible! Master Takashi has _never_ praised anyone openly before!"

Grrlash shook his head slowly.

"And he still wipes the floor with me every session."

* * *

.

Leaping high, Grrlash twisted his body in mid-air, allowing the incoming pseudo-lasers to flash harmlessly through the space he had just vacated. A moment later, he launched himself off the vertical surface of a large boulder, and slammed into a figure that had just stood up from behind a bush. A split-second later a veritable laser storm split the air where the figure had been.

"Uuurgh."

Grrlash slung the figure over his shoulder, scooped up its dropped weapon and sprinted into the densest part of the simulated forest. Dropping into the undergrowth he placed the weapon back into his team-mate's hands.

"Stay here, stay down. Count to ten, then move out slow."

"Gotcha."

Grrlash tilted his head as a faint rustling noise sounded, then crouched down. On all fours, he stalked silently towards the noise, taking full advantage of all the cover and moving only when the rustling of leaves in the breeze could hide his own movements.

"CADET THURGOOD, DECEASED, GRENADE KILL. REPORT TO OBSERVATION POST."

Grrlash winced. Thurgood had been the last of his team-mates, and there were still four opponents in the pseudo-forest, including a camelioid who could alter the color of her skin at will, rendering her effectively invisible, a human renowned for his hand-hand skills and a Rsyn renowned for its strength. The final member he had not seen yet, and so was an unknown. As if called, the Rsyn lumbered past, looking for him but not seeing him. Grrlash was about to pounce when he saw a shimmer in the foliage, and a brief glimpse of a gun. Gathering himself, he flung himself forward, his nose pinpointing his target, and his hands reaching out and finding their target. A split second later the Camelioid changed to her normal coloration of blue as the impact hurled her onto the ground. Grrlash lashed out and stroked her neck with the back of one hand.

"Silent kill." he whispered into the mike on his collar-band before ghosting back into the undergrowth and swarming silently up into the canopy. As he glided from one branch to another, following the Rsyn's trail, the air trembled once again as the voice echoed.

"CADET THSSISSTSSIS, DECEASED, SILENT KILL, DISCOVERED BY CADET CHANG. REPORT TO OBSERVATION POST."

Even as the voice stopped speaking, Grrlash drew his dagger, dropped behind the Rsyn and slashed the blade across the Rsyn's legs. The holo-blade passed harmlessly through the Rsyn's hamstrings, and as the Rsyn fell over backwards in response to the tingling sensation induced by the holo-blade, Grrlash slashed it across the Rsyn's throat before it could scream.

"Silent kill."

Glancing round, Grrlash moved back towards where he had 'killed' Thssisstssis. A slight rustle to his left was the only warning he had. Hurling himself downwards and towards the rustling, Grrlash rolled just as the hand-hand expert delivered a flying kick to where he had been.

"HAYEEEEA!"

Abandoning stealth in favor of all-out speed, Grrlash lashed out, his fist just missing his opponent, who circled left, then struck a ridiculous martial-arts pose. Without knowing why, Grrlash dived right, just as a whisper in the air announced the arrival of the final opponent. Without even bothering to rise, Grrlash launched himself at the newest opponent, then managed to turn the rush into a dive as both opponents attacked, the martial-artist with a jumping high kick, the other with a low scything kick. Leaping between the two kicks, Grrlash latched onto the newer adversary and twisted, hurling him into the martial artist. Both of them fell, and Grrlash hurled his holo-dagger at the heap, hitting the martial-artist blade-first in the chest. Before the other could rise, Grrlash grabbed him from behind and quickly drew his sheathed claws across his throat.

"CADET GRRAA, DECEASED, SILENT KILL. CADET CHANG, DECEASED, DAGGER-THROW KILL. CADET KIM, DECEASED, BARE-HAND KILL. CADET GRRLASH, SOLE SURVIVOR. TEAM BETA VICTORIOUS, FIVE CASUALTIES. SCENARIO ENDS."

The surrounding forest flickered, and turned into a collection of jointed armatures that were in the shape of trees. A moment later, the armatures retracted into the floor, which closed seamlessly after them, leaving only the twelve cadets, eight of whom were watching from the far corner. Even as he noted their position, the main doors hissed open and two armoured figures strode in. Grrlash instantly recognized the shorter one as Mariah Starborn, despite her helmet, but the other figure puzzled him.

"You see what I mean, he would be best deployed either as a LegionRanger or a LegionScout. His combat skills are the most formidable when in a small team or alone."

The taller figure nodded at Mariah's words.

"Very well, Starborn. On your recommendation, he will be assigned to the Hyperchip Retrieval mission as the main-operative. After that, his fate depends purely on how he does."

With that the large figure turned and strode out through the door. Mariah approached him, removed her helmet and smiled at him.

"Well, ready for your first mission?"

.

Grrlash's paws slammed onto the rock and he launched himself forwards, ducking under a burst of laser fire. Spinning as he moved, he unleashed a volley of laserfire from his rifle. The automated sentinel emplacement fell silent, and Grrlash leapt on top of it, scanning the surrounding terrain quickly before back flipping back down to the ground. An instant later, a dozen laser beams converged on the space he had just vacated.  
Spinning round, Grrlash unleashed another set of laser bolts that accurately impacted on the barrels of the other turrets, warping them beyond use. Pausing, he keyed his helmet for a radiation-scan, and saw a hazy dome shimmering over the building he was trying to reach. Ducking low, Grrlash activated the stealth-systems of his armor, and watched as his outstretched arm changed in color from bright laser-reflecting silver to a dull grey, matching the rock beneath him. Sliding forwards slowly, Grrlash crept to the boundary of the shield, noting where it failed to dip with a partially overgrown stream-bed, providing an access-point.

Perfect.

 _Too_ perfect.

Re-keying his visor, Grrlash scanned first for metal, then for temperature and density fluctuations signifying a trap or sensors. When both proved negative, he frowned, then looked more closely at the vines lining the stream. At the cautious prod from one of his claws, the vines flexed violently, and only his reflexes prevented the vines from catching his arm. Grinning slightly at the exhilaration of the close call, he scanned the vines, and let his databank analyse them.

_"Plant identified :- Villixian Strangler-vine. Carnivorous plant, secures prey in its vines before conveying to central location, where prey is dissolved with acid, and digested."_

Grrlash read the words, and then looked at the now-still vines, noting where the sap was dripping from where his claw-blade had accidentally severed one strand. Holstering his laser-rifle in his back-holster, he reached out again, and let one vine grab his arm. A moment later, the vine started dragging him under the shield-barrier. Waiting until the vine had pulled him into the cliff-edge compound, Grrlash severed the vine holding him, and rolled into the shelter of a boulder. The vines continued to retract towards the central bush, oblivious to the fact that its prey had escaped.

Extending a small optic probe, Grrlash used it to survey the area. His on-board targeting systems highlighted several life-forms patrolling the grounds. Waiting until they were all facing away from him, Grrlash somersaulted to the main building and flattened himself against it, allowing the suit to change color again, helping him to hide from a casual glance. Moving slowly, pausing often to check that he was still unobserved, he extended his finger-claws and started to scale the wall rather than try any of the ground-floor windows or doors. Reaching the top, he smoothly rolled over the parapet, and slid into the shelter of an antenna. Scanning the roof, he spotted a doorway. Carefully, he sliced all the leads of the antenna so that the cuts would not be immediately obvious, and leapt onto the small ledge above the door, balancing himself upside-down on it, his back pressed against the wall and his legs folded over the small roof that protected the stairwell from the elements. Thus braced, he waited.

Grrlash stiffened slightly as the sound of footsteps drifted up the stairs. As the door opened beneath him, he flexed his arms, preparing to swing. The being ambled out and released the door, allowing it to swing shut by itself. Before it could, Grrlash swung out and flipped through the door, somersaulting silently down the stairs, bouncing off the bottom step and using his arms and legs to suspend himself between the walls, edging upwards until he reached the ceiling. Moving one limb at a time, he edged forwards, scanning the walls, floor and ceiling for any surprises. Only the floor was boobytrapped, with shimmering disintegrator-fields and sensor-pads. Following his briefing, Grrlash followed the main corridor until he came to a large set of doors. Scanning them, he suppressed a whistle. Built from solid tritanium alloy, the doors were also protected by a disintegration field, the whole setup humorously incongruous in the stone wall...

His thoughts juddered to a halt, then he grinned. Extending his arm, he flexed his finger-claws, and used his wrist vibro-blade to silently cut a plug of stone out from the wall above the doors. Holding the plug firmly with the extended claws of one hand, he used his toe-claws to gain enough traction to leap through the hole, somersaulting so that his feet went through first and the stone plug fitted back into the hole, sealing it and allowing him to hang from it. Activating his scanners again, he noted the fluctuations that marked sensor grids in the floor surrounding the pedestal, as well as the laser-detection grid that prevented him from merely swinging across to grab his prize and return to the meeting point. He looked again at the pedestal, the item on it gleaming in the moonlight shining through the window...

Once again, his thoughts juddered. He looked up and carefully scanned the window. Although the window itself was made from transparent tritanium, almost unbreakable, the frame was made of a relatively fragile plastic, and there were no field emitters or high-speed shutter guides on it. Beyond the window he could see only air, suggesting that the room was on the cliff-side of the building. Smiling, he flexed his claws and climbed along the wall until the pedestal was between him and the window until he was in position. Firing his grapple upwards, Grrlash felt it bite into the support beams and lock into place. He attached the second grapple to his belt, ready for instant use, and launched himself from the wall. As he swooped through the first beam, an alarm sounded, and the pedestal started to retract into the ground. Holding onto the line with his feet, Grrlash's arm swept down and snagged the glittering item from the descending platform before he twisted and slammed into the window shoulders-first. As he had expected, the pseudo-glass remained intact, but the entire window-frame was ripped out of the wall, falling away from the building.

Tumbling down, Grrlash fired the second grapple at the cliff. The wire snapped taut, and he landed silently on the vertical surface. Extending his claws again, he climbed along the cliff, away from the suddenly well-illuminated compound, towards the small valley where the ship was concealed, along with the pilot. Spotting the dip in the cliff-top that marked the valley, he climbed up and hauled himself into the valley, reflexively ducking under cover despite the fact that he was theoretically safe. Scanning the area, he frowned at the sight of the empty space that marked where the ship had been. Altering his scanning range, he smiled as the ship flipped into view, his visor piercing its cloaking field. Checking his own stealth-systems were intact, he slid forwards, using the vegetation and rocks as cover both from the ship and any observers. Reaching the hatch, he keyed for a minimal opening, and slipped through into the ship. Ghosting forwards, he entered the cockpit, and saw his co-legionary in the pilot's seat, intently scanning the valley.

"I've got it. Let's go."

The legionary jolted almost out of his seat and slammed one hand against his chest as he slumped back down.

"How the HELL did you do that?!"

Grrlash smiled at him as he reached over and keyed in the engine-start sequence before taking the co-pilot's seat.

"Tell you later. For now, let's get this thing back to the main ship."

The pilot nodded, and turned his attention to the controls.

.

"The item requested, sir."

The captain looked at him, his eyebrows raised in what was apparently an expression of surprise.

"Well done. I've been contacted by the base-team, and the first they knew about you getting past the shield-dome was when you grabbed the box and smashed through the window. You're one of the very, very few to _ever_ ace the test first time."

Grrlash frowned.

"It was an exercise? I was told it was a vital mission."

The captain smiled.

"It was. Open the box."

Grrlash flipped the box open, and looked inside. A silver chip sparkled in the light, its oblong shape fitting neatly in the container. Turning the box upside-down, Grrlash shook the datachip into his hand.

"What is it?"

"Your promotion-chip. Congratulations, you are a Cadet no more. Welcome to the Legion-proper, Legionary Grrlash."

Grrlash snapped to attention and performed the human ritual known as the salute, apparently a mark of affirmation and respect. The grizzled captain nodded.

"We don't stand on ceremony here, report to Bay three and join Mariah Starborn, we have a _real_ mission for you. She'll brief you on it as you go."

Grrlash saluted again and exited the room.

.

"This is a Technoss Diplomatic ship."

Mariah nodded.

"Yes, it is. We're travelling to Prime Planet to act as aides to our current ambassador, one of the Allied Races. Get on board."

Grrlash strode through the airlock and moved to the cockpit, where he seated himself in the co-pilot's seat. Hearing the airlock close, he started the power-up sequence. A moment later, Mariah entered the cockpit and sat in the Pilots seat.

"This is Ambassador-ship Seven-three-Beta to Solar Guardian, requesting launch and star-portal to outpost Technosia."

There was a pause, then the comm crackled.

"Launch when ready, Portal is powering up."

Lightly manipulating the controls, Mariah lifted the ship out of the hangar bay and into space, sending it into a long spiral that ended up facing the front of the Solar Guardian. The concave section filled with energy, and cleared to show a planet that Grrlash had never seen before outside of Newscasts about the Legions. Hitting the drive-lever, Mariah catapulted the ship through the Portal, sending it across half the Galaxy in a single second. Grrlash looked at her.

"That was not what I expected."

Mariah laughed.

"Let me guess, you were expecting some type of internal jolt, static discharge, twisting sensation or other inexplicable phenomenon."

Grrlash nodded slowly.

"We managed to solve those problems two centuries ago. Now, except for the energy cost, it's as easy as crossing the corridor, and usually more boring. Changing course, preparing for HyperLight."

The starfield slid by as the ship reoriented, before space seemed to twist and warp into a long tunnel made of streaks of blue-shifted light.

"Autopilot engaged, on course. Time for the primary briefing."

Grrlash nodded, tearing his eyes away from the status screens and detector panels in front of him.

"Every time we get an acer like yourself, we start by putting them on a diplomatic tour of duty to get rid of any notions that the life of a Legionary is all action and excitement. For the next year, we'll be part of the Ambassador's bodyguards and aides, doing research and ceremonial duties. Your data-searching skills will be tested to the limits, as will your ability to remain motionless during the senate proceedings. All active Legionaries go through similar routines in other embassies at least once in their lives, so don't feel unduly put-upon."

Grrlash nodded, then frowned.

"Do unarmored Legionaries act as spies?"

Mariah shook her head.

"No, that's too risky. Yes, the Legions have spies, in fact we have at least one spy in every major delegation barring the Zhlantans and their closest allies, and the F'Linians because they were not regarded as being politically important enough until now, but no active Legionary is allowed to be seen without their armor, we need the mystique that the armour brings us. If the Zhlantans ever find out who we are, they'll abandon the outer parts of their empire in order to concentrate their entire might against us, and although we _think_ we currently have just about enough resources to take them on in a total fight, we would rather defeat them in a series of small-scale wars.  
"Now listen, this is vital to us. We've trained you for almost two years, both as F'linian and Technoss, to turn you into a fighting machine superior to anything outside the Legions. In fact, you rate in the top two percent, which is unheard of for a new Legionary. You are a Legionary, and as such, you must follow these rules.  
"When in public, do _not_ remove or allow any part of your armor or weaponry to be removed under any circumstances. Use the self-destruct device if you absolutely have to, the secrecy of the Legions is our greatest protection. If talked to, open communication with the Ambassador's office immediately, one of the comm-officers will guide you through the conversation, telling you when to be silent, and what areas to avoid. Be aware that outside the Ambassadorial chambers, you'll probably be under constant surveillance by at least one other race at all times, they are intensely curious about us. While we are there, you are under my direct command, and we'll be teamed together whenever we are on a mission. Finally, do _not_ take any action against the Zhlantans, all diplomatic parties and races are under a nominal truce on Prime Planet, so honor it."

Grrlash nodded slowly.

"Understood. However, being stuck in a single set of chambers for a year will not be very easy."

Mariah laughed.

"It'll be easier than you think, the Technoss Ambassadorial chambers in the Senate Building are linked to the Technoss Embassy on the other side of the planet by a permanent Door-Portal, similar to the Star-Portal we passed through. Since the Technoss Embassy is a fully-sealed Force-field protected opaque dome ten miles wide, with a large exercise park two miles wide, you won't need to worry about feeling claustrophobic."

Grrlash breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now go back and get some rest, we've got two days before we arrive."

.

The tachyon-distorted blur of HyperLight faded from the viewscreens, to be replaced by a starfield providing a backdrop to a large planet, is continents covered in greenery interposed with large, aesthetically designed cities resembling fractal designs or stylized images when seen from space. In the co-pilot's chair, Mariah pulled on her helmet and activated the comm.

"Technoss Ambassadorial Shuttle Seven-Three-Beta to Prime Planet Control. Requesting flight path to Technoss Ambassadorial Hive-dome."

The comm was silent for a few minutes before a voice responded.

"This is Prime Planet Control to Technoss Shuttle Seven-Three-Beta, sending flight path now. Clear skies."

Grrlash scanned the rows of numbers in front of him, and fed them into the flight computer before taking a firm grip on the control-stick. The main viewport flickered slightly as the inbuilt holographic systems projected the image of a wire-frame tunnel that represented their flight-path.

"Where are we landing?" asked Grrlash as he automatically compensated for the air turbulence as they descended into the atmosphere, the shuttle's energy shields glowing as they shed vast quantities of heat generated from air friction.

"The dome has a built-in landing bay. The door will open as we approach, fly in and follow the tunnel."

Grrlash glanced at her suspiciously, then altered the angle of the shuttle slightly to aid in dumping the excess velocity from the steep-angle entry. On the horizon, a metallic-grey dot appeared, standing out yet somehow blending in with the surrounding greenery. As they approached Grrlash could make out more details, although the dome was almost entirely composed of hexagons, a few pentagons provided the required curvature to make it arch over in a hemisphere. Each pentagon, however, boasted a large centrally-mounted airlock., and the one nearest to them was surrounded by a sequence of flashing lights, marching inwards from each corner to the airlock itself, which stood open to receive the shuttle.  
Grrlash's eyes widened as he realized the sheer scale of the dome, each hexagon was over three-hundred metres long on each side, and the airlock itself was at least four-hundred metres across, more than large enough to swallow a formation of shuttles, with enough room for a squadron of flitters. Aiming at the centre of the airlock, Grrlash activated the braking thrusters, slowing the shuttle down and altering the glide angle so that it glided along, parallel to the ground beneath. As he passed through the airlock, a row of lights appeared, showing that the tunnel curved to the right. At the same time, a brief jolt indicated the activation of external tractor beams. Mariah reached across and killed the engines before hitting the switch that extended the landing gear.

"Relax and watch." she said.

The tunnel continued to curve, then Grrlash gasped at what he saw. An instant later, his mind snapped the scene into perspective and he gazed over at the array of pillars and incredibly thick bracing arms that supported the two Shield-class battle cruisers, held facing the far side of the dome, where special struts indicated where the dome-wall was capable of being retracted. Round the Shield-class ships were arrayed a large number of Sword and Dagger-class ships, parked on special shelves and gantries that surrounded the Shield-class ships without impeding egress.

"Our greatest accomplishment so far." said Mariah with a trace of pride. "The only Technoss-ships to be built in-situ on a non-secured world, with no-one aware of what we had achieved. We are in the process of establishing Technoss-domes on other worlds, and we will also build more ships in those domes. We hope never to have to use these ships, but with them here, we are able to avoid the necessity of morally-corrupt compromises to ensure safety, we can safely evacuate our entire diplomatic staff within an hour if the Prime-Planet Truce is broken, but we will not break it ourselves. We pride ourselves on never starting a fight..."

"But always finishing it." Grrlash finished, as the tractor beam gently deposited the shuttle on a small landing pad in the shadow of the lower Shield-class ship. Looking up at them through the viewscreen, Grrlash could make out the name-insignias written in the blocky yet amazingly adaptable Technoss-script, the _Shadowshield_ and the _Silentshield_. Tearing his gaze away from the ships, he reached behind him for his helmet and carefully pulled it over his head before carefully shutting down the remaining shuttle systems.

Once the shuttle had been secured, he gave Mariah the human signal called "thumbs up" and followed her to the airlock. Outside was the biggest Legionary he had ever seen, over twice his height, and easily as wide across as he himself could stretch, if not wider. The metallic cape that shrouded its form gave it the appearance of a pillar with shoulder pads and a perfectly proportioned helmet which curved downwards to a point just below the shoulder pads. Grrlash took a couple of steps back up the ramp to peer at the face of the giant legionary.

"Grrlash Galrraanaa of F'Linia and Mariah Starborn of New Earth?"

Numb with shock, Grrlash nodded slowly as the scaly face of the Legionary turned to look at him.

"I am the Ambassador. It is an pleasure to see you again, Mariah, and an honour to meet you, Grrlash."

Mariah laughed.

"Nice to see you again, Titus. Is it a long walk to our quarters?"

Titus nodded ponderously, a suspicious glint in his eyes. A moment later the two shoulder pads unfolded into seats.

"It is a very long walk, and we have a lot to discuss, Mariah. Do you want a lift, or would you prefer to strain your neck and walk into pillars and other legionaries?"

Mariah stuck her tongue out at him, then scrambled up and settled herself onto Titus' left shoulder.

"Grrlash?"

"No thank you. I don't want to interrupt your reunion. Just give me the number of my quarters, if it isn't too much trouble."

"Very well, number 26, level 45, habitation tower 3."

Grrlash scanned the surroundings, and noticed a map set on one side of the landing pad. Striding over to it, he looked at it, noting the position of the icon representing Tower H3. Orienting himself to the tower beyond the Shield-class ships, he leapt forwards, reveling in the feel of the suit amplifying his movements, allowing him to move faster and higher than he had previously dreamed possible.  
As he started to arc back down, he grabbed a strut and used it to hurl himself higher, to where he had spotted another potential handhold. Grabbing it briefly, he used his legs to push himself off at a new angle, using the pillars and exostructures as an aerial highway, skimming along above the large mass of Technoss Legionaries below him. To each side, he saw Legionaries looking at him from windows and elevators, some of them waving encouragement to him. Grinning, he proceeded to embellish his leaps with twists, somersaults, flips and controlled plummets that allowed him to catapult himself to ever higher levels in the metal jungle that was the city in the Dome, looping back and forth to get a full view of both the Cruisers.  
Reaching Tower H3 by running up the outside of a sloping magcar tube, Grrlash activated his jump jets to take him to a series of ledges. Swarming up them as fast as a normal F'linian could run, he flipped himself through an open window into a hallway.

"That was commendably fast."

Grrlash's jaw dropped open at the sight of Titus and Mariah standing in front of him, Mariah leaning casually against Titus, half enfolded in his cloak. Mariah chuckled at his shocked expression.

"How?"

Titus grinned, then moved away from Mariah, bowing slightly to her as he moved to the window. Turning, he launched himself out of the window. Grrlash spun, just in time to see him glide up on metallic wings that Grrlash had mistaken for a cloak. Under the wings, a pair of miniature jets ignited and Titus' form dwindled as he flew away. As his form diminished, Mariah started speaking.

"Titus and I are siblings. I was on egg-watch at the nursery when he hatched, and for a three-year old it was very exciting. Since I was an orphan, my parents having died in a freak accident, his mother adopted me once she realized how close we were, we grew up as brother and sister. Once he hit his adult size and his wings developed, we used to go out flying together, riding the winds of New Earth. On the ground, though, I always had to look up to talk to him, hence his teasing earlier. I didn't mind, my fingers were far more nimble than his, and I could always tickle him into submission if he annoyed me too much."

Grrlash gave her a measuring look.

"Intriguing. Is that why you like us non-Humans so much?"

Mariah laughed.

"No active xenophobes are allowed to become Legionaries, although the majority of Legionaries are still slightly uncomfortable when outnumbered by those not of their species. I was raised by a family of non-Humans, in a region with a majority non-Human population. I'm actually more comfortable round most species of non-Humans than I am around Humans, since I know them better. Well, get some rest, there's a food slot in your room. We've got our first guard-day tomorrow."

* * *

.

Grrlash allowed his eyes to roam across the opposite side of the giant spherical chamber housing the Galactic Congress, each delegation had a balcony to itself, and the balconies were arranged in a hexagonal pattern, with a few pentagons thrown in to ensure proper curvature. The top and bottom quarter of the sphere had no inbuilt balconies, instead the base of the sphere featured a large audio-shielded viewing gallery, from which tourists and other beings could look up at the beings who dictated how they lived, and the top quarter boasted an impressive array of giant screens on which the current speaker could be seen from any angle, as well as any images that the speaker chose to have displayed and several carefully hidden security alcoves, filled with armed guards. In the exact center-point of the sphere floated a small platform, on which was seated the Prime Leader on the rotatable upper section and several bureaucrats and advisers on the lower section, their faces lit sporadically by the flashing display screens in front of them. The voice of the speaker, a small being droning on about the need for relaxations on certain trade restrictions, rose from the speaker set in the front of the balcony.

"The design seems very familiar." he said, checking his suit's status symbols.

"Yes, it is. It's based on a Human design, as presented by a Technoss agent. If you imagine that the pattern extends across the entire sphere, then turn each balcony into a carbon atom, you get a Buckminsterfullerene. The doorways are archways to allow for almost any conceivable sentient life-form, although the gas-beings of _Wind-blows-soft, sun-shines-bright_ required its/their quarters to be significantly remodeled to allow it/them to spend time out of its/their containment spheres, and several of the water-breathing sentients needed special adaptations to turn the balconies into clear-walled water-tanks"

Grrlash turned his head slightly to look up at the semi-translucent orb filled with a weird, constantly-shifting gas floating just above one of the semi-circular balconies to his right. From the orb, a veritable array of mechanical arms and devices dangled, moving slightly as the gas inside the orb acted on unknown mechanisms. It seemed to return his scrutiny, then one arm moved slightly to the board in front of it.

"Any other weird races?" he asked, half-jokingly.

"The Thunk of Rockland spring to mind."

Grrlash's jaw dropped, and he stared at her.

"The _Thunk_?! You are joking, aren't you?"

"Nope. Sentient rocks, silicon-based, with an outer skin resembling granite which acts as a fantastically effective solar panel that generates an electrical current. They can also absorb ambient electromagnetic energy, and probably thermal energy as well. They have no independent locomotion in their natural state, but once they managed to establish communication, first by thermal fluctuations, then by radio and implanted vocoder units, many of them chose to get wheels and sometimes even armatures cybernetically implanted. They reproduce by splitting, and grow by absorbing silica particles. Several thousand work in the Technoss, as sentient computers with extensive machine-computer backup. That's one on the platform over there."

A targeting icon appeared on Grrlash's visor, allowing him to zoom in on a balcony almost opposite to him. A large irregular rock occupied it, the mechanical gripper mounted on the front of it looking incongruous against the slate-grey background.

"Damn."

Grrlash managed not to jolt at Titus' growled comment.

"The Gasbeing ambassador has just informed me that the Zhlantans are about to speak, trying to use our most recent battle against us."

"Can't you come up with a rebuttal?" asked Grrlash.

"The Technoss do not speak at the Council, Grrlash. We advise, we may manipulate, even blackmail, but always behind the scenes, we do not speak openly. We work through intermediaries, the Gasbeings, the Thunk, the Darklings, the WaveWalkers, the Deepdwellers, the Reptirs, hopefully soon the F'linians now that they are on the road to recovery, but we ourselves do not speak. Ever. Times like this, I curse the need to remain mysterious. The Zhlantan is about to speak, you listen to him, I have some urgent _advising_ to do."

As Titus unobtrusively activated his board-suit interface, Grrlash activated his targeting systems and set it to target Zhlantans. A second later, the targeting icon highlighted a balcony off to his left, below a translucent water-filled half-dome/balcony securely anchored to the wall, in which a long eel-like being watched, curled in a loose spiral. Activating his suit-recorder, he zoomed in as the Zhlantan Ambassador began speaking, its guttural, crackling language translating flawlessly into Tradespeak by the advanced computers in its balcony.

"Members of the Galactic Council, once again I come to you with a request and a warning. The Technoss have again invaded the Zhlantan Imperium and stolen from us four of our newest colony worlds, worlds which we need to support our infrastructure and prevent the suffering of our citizens. This the Technoss have done for no reason that we can determine except for their obsessive hatred of us, hatred which we have never courted, which we have never deserved.  
"I move that the Technoss Ambassador himself explains the reasons for the actions taken by his species, and that, as way of apology and repatriation, the Ambassador allows an independent team of scientists to examine the Technoss, allowing us to finally know them, and hopefully aid their full integration into the peaceful Galactic Community. I await a response."

"I second the motion." came another voice, the balcony of the speaker lighting up to signify the stance of the occupier.

"Objection!"

The Prime Leader glanced down at her board, then spoke.

"The objection of Ambassador Hwarrr of F'linia will be heard."

Titus looked up from his board.

" _I_ didn't contact him, maybe the Gasbeing did. Damn, I can't predict what he'll say. This could be either very good, or very, very bad."

As the noise in the sphere abated, Hwarrr stood up, the lights glinting off the silver highlights in his fur.

"I am Hwarrr Haallaakh, a veteran of what we F'Linians call the Great War, when the Zhlantans invaded my homeworld of F'linia and certain of its colonies. We contacted the Technoss and asked them to aid us in regaining our freedom, and so they did. Many of us died in the battles that followed, as did many of the Technoss. In the final battle we lost our greatest warrior, Grrlash Galrraanaa, who sacrificed his life to kill the Zhlantan warleader, and thus ensure the final defeat of the Zhlantans who had invaded us. His body was never recovered, but we still honor him.  
"When the Technoss aided us in rebuilding our cities and infrastructure, we managed to re-establish contact with most of our colonies, and found that the Zhlantans had bypassed them. Two standard months ago, however, we found that four of our outermost colonies close to the Zhlantan Empire, Gaaraal, Gryyar, Jhaaque and the then-called Colony seventeen, now called Grrlash after our most recent Great Hero, were under Zhlantan rule, with the colonists enslaved and the planets being stripped of resources. With the aid of the Technoss, we spearheaded an assault that liberated those worlds. _Those_ are the so-called Zhlantan colonies that the Zhlantan Ambassador speaks of, they were never true Zhlantan colonies, they were ours, and will remain so. Therefore, the foundation of the Zhlantan request is false, and therefore his motion is also. I move that it be denied."

Titan straightened slightly and nodded to both the Thunk and the Gas-being Ambassadors.

[[THE THUNK SUPPORT THE F'LINIAN MOTION.]]

* _The Gasbeings of Wind-blows-soft, sun-shines-bright support the F'Linian motion._ *

From another balcony a moving shadow extended a blurred appendage.

## _The Darklings support the F'Linian motion_ ##

The eel-like creature stirred and twisted, its skin shading slightly. From its balcony, a watery voice sounded from the implanted Vocoder unit.

~~~ _The Deepdwellers support the F'Linian motion~~~_

The Prime Leader held up a manipulatory appendage.

"The facts presented by Ambassador Hwarrr have been independently verified as totally accurate and truthful by the Archivist and the Galactic-Cartographer. We will now vote on whether the Zhlantan motion is valid. Please vote now."

All round the sphere, a veritable sea of red lights activated, broken only by a few defiant spots of blue.

"Voting is complete and tabulated. The Zhlantan move is denied. For making a false claim, the Zhlantan Ambassador is required to abstain from the proceedings for a full six planetary rotations. Is there any more business that needs to be discussed? Then the current gathering is over. We shall reconvene in forty standard time-units. Thank you."

With that, the platform holding the Prime Leader ascended smoothly, vanishing into a vertical tube in the center of the viewscreen displays. A moment later the lights started to dim. Titus looked at the glowing screen in front of him, then turned and strode off the balcony, his wings folded tightly round him. Mariah and Grrlash followed him closely.

"Where are we going?"

Titus moved through the sea of diplomats, who parted to let him through, some with expressions of awe and respect, a few with fear, anger or indecipherable emotions on their faces.

"Hwarrr contacted me on the private screen, asking for a face-to-helmet meeting at my convenience. Ah. Grrlash, um..."

"Don't worry." said Grrlash. "I know what is required, silence, looming, and not to make any action that could leave Technoss open to discovery."

Titus nodded slightly, and turned to face a doorway guarded by a F'linian in ceremonial armor.

"Watch and learn." whispered Mariah across the Technoss-link. "He's going to be more Technoss than you've ever seen before."

The F'linian guard had snapped to attention, his face frozen in a mixture of awe and fear as Titus swept closer to him.

"Hwarrr." said Titus, allowing the suits vocal systems to distort his voice, inserting the metallic overtones and resonances associated with Technoss.

The Guard stepped backwards, banging into the door. Reaching sideways for the intercom panel, he fumbled for the correct switch.

"Sir, the Technoss Ambassador is here, asking for you!"

"Let him in!"

The door behind the Guard irised open, and the Guard scooted sideways to let Titus through. With Mariah and Grrlash in perfect lockstep behind him, Titus glided forwards through the portal, stopping in the exact center of the reception chamber. A moment later, Hwarrr entered through the opposite door and bowed. A second, smaller F'Linian stepped through behind him and dropped into the alert-but-relaxed formal waiting crouch.

"Ambassador, I must admit that I am surprised to see you here so quickly. I thought that the normal routine was for our respective staff to arrange a mutually beneficial time.."

"Inconvenient?"

"Ummm, no! Not at all! Can I offer you a seat... or not."

"Talk."

Hwarrr took a deep breath, looking slightly confused, then pulled himself back together.

"I was in contact with Homeworld before the meeting, and they have authorised me to advance a proposition to you. You have already seen how my people can fight once given basic Technoss combat and multi-function teamwork training, and we are indeed training our people in the new methods you taught us. As such, we have assembled five full battalions of Warriors trained in team-working and combat in multiple environments.  
"Once the border has been stabilized, we will have three battalions and several fleets available for use. Should you ever require them, we of F'Linia will willingly and gladly donate them to whatever cause you fight as a symbol of the debt which we can never repay."

Titus drew himself up to his full height and tilted his helmet forwards.

"Appreciated. Acknowledged."

Hwarrr bowed slightly.

"But."

"But?"

"Intelligence better."

Hwarrr frowned.

"I see. How would we get information to you?"

"Choose messenger. Send. We instruct."

Hwarrr bowed deeper.

"I understand. And I choose my son Hrwrl. He will go with you when you leave, if you agree."

"Accepted."

The smaller F'Linian looked up slightly, and nodded his head in understanding. Titus turned his helmet towards him, then turned and strode towards the door. Mariah motioned to Hwarrr, then turned and moved up to beside Titan. Grrlash fell into position behind Titus, and Hrwrl sprinted up, taking up the final position in the square as they exited back into the corridor.

.

Grrlash handed the warm beverage to Hrwrl and stepped back as Mariah started briefing the youngster.

"Familiar with cantina, _Warrior's Peace_?"

Hrwrl frowned slightly.

"The one in the north side of the Congressional Building? The one that most of the delegates pay a nominal fee towards? I've only been there once before, but the food was good."

"Good. Cantina part of Technoss spy chain. Once you receive datadisc from Ambassador, go to Cantina. Disguised dataslot at end of each support strut of table, does not matter where you sit. Put datadisc in slot, and information be downloaded. Disc ejects once information downloaded and information you need uploaded."

Hrwrl nodded, looking impressed.

"Neat. So the Cantina is actually provided by Technoss, who use it to communicate with all those in the know. Can I ask how many know?"

"No. And must never tell anyone else, not even Ambassador."

Hrwrl nodded, then his eyes glinted.

"And if I make it a regular occasion, eating there, no-one will suspect anything. I'll combine it with my Fighting-club routine."

"Acceptable."

Hrwrl swelled slightly at the compliment, then stared at Grrlash, who had collected a long box from a semi-concealed slot.

"What's that?"

Grrlash strode forwards, holding the long box across his arms as Mariah explained.

"In box matched set ceremonial Technoss-swords. They for Ambassador. Everyone knows what Technoss-swords are, and also know that Technoss deliver indirectly. These symbol of respect we have for Ambassador, and also good reason for you come here. Take with you."

Hrwrl placed the now-empty mug on the table, then reached out and carefully lifted the box, cradling it across his chest. Bowing, he moved to the now-open door and exited. The door closed silently behind him, and Grrlash slumped.

"That was harder than I thought."

Mariah glanced over at Grrlash, and her expression softened.

"I can never go back to what I was."

It wasn't a question, but Mariah answered anyway.

"No, that life is past. The old you died on F'Linia."

Grrlash nodded sadly.

"Yes. If you need me, I'll be working out at the Gym, I have a lot of emotion that I need to purge."

Mariah grinned wickedly.

"You do know that Master Takashi is here?"

Grrlash froze with shock.

"I'll have him meet you at the Gym."

Grrlash fixed her with a withering glare, and she scurried away quickly.


	4. Discovery

_Technoss Hivespace :- The Technoss Hivespace is the area of space claimed for use by the Technoss only. Its borders are scanned by an incredibly complex array of drone-platforms that can detect any vessel, both in Realspace and HyperLight, and inform the Technoss Collective instantly, using as-yet unidentified technology.  
Only a few planets in the Technoss Hivespace, all located on its borders, are open to non-Technoss life-forms, these are the appropriately-named planets Knowledge (a planet devoted to storing and sharing non-restricted information and philosophies), _Trade _(Self-explanatory, although the Technoss participation is generally minimal), the_ Haven systems _(eight planets of varying environments devoted to old beings with little or no family, who are willing to aid the Technoss in whatever way they can in exchange for near-palatial lodgings and medical care) and_ Interface _(where many species have their embassies in preparation for when they may need to hire the Technoss).  
The planet _Technosia _(Sigma-Delta-996339-Epsilon, currently off-limits to non-Technoss life-forms), where first contact with the Technoss Collective was initiated, is widely believed (although without much proof) to be a mere colony world established specifically to allow contact with the Galactic Federation. Intrusion into the Technoss Hivespace is forbidden, and very, very few who have tried to enter unbidden have ever returned._

\- Extract from the Galactic Encyclopaedia

.

The dungeon door rattled open and a fist slammed into Grrlash's midsection, causing him to fold double. The two brawny humans supporting him half-dragged him into the cell and slammed him against a solid stone wall, pinning him until a third guard could lock manacles round his wrists. After hitting him once more, the three humans retreated out of the cell and slammed the door closed, shooting the bolts to prevent his escape. Sitting up, Grrlash took stock of his damp surroundings, and then looked at the chains that attached him to the wall. Holding one between two hands, he tested the strength of the forged-steel links, then released the chain with a sigh of disgust.

"Grrlash."

Grrlash froze, then frowned as he listened for any sound that would betray the return of the guards. After a few silent seconds, he reached up and unwrapped a small emergency communicator-ring from a concealing braid in his mane.

"Reporting."

Mariah's voice filled with relief.

"Thank goodness. Our first independent mission, to re-establish contact with a lost colony, and it all goes belly-up on us. Status?"

"In a prison cell, chained to the wall, cold, damp, uniform all but gone. Chain-links too strong to snap. You?"

"Uniform gone, in hot water, not liking this."

Grrlash frowned.

"Hot water?"

Mariah's voice filled with disgust.

"The high-leader of this colony has decided that I can be _redeemed_ by entering his _service_ , the old git. In front of my bath is an outfit made of something that is almost nonexistent that he wants me to wear, although he would probably not mind if I refused as there is nothing else. Thankfully, he thought my communicator was merely jewellery. I've got bad news, they think you're a _saytin-sparn_ , whatever that means, and plan to kill you tomorrow. I, on the other hand, am sentenced to lifelong servitude and motherhood as penance for being in the company of demons. Have you got any ideas for an escape plan?"

Grrlash looked round at his spartan accommodations.

"I cannot escape, I have been secured beyond my strength. All I can think of is that tonight you somehow reach and release me, and I will get us both out from this regressed society."

"Okay. I'll do my best. Someone's coming, I'll call again when I can."

The com-ring went silent, and Grrlash threaded it back onto the braid before leaning against the wall. On reflection, he thought, uncertainty about the future was far less worrying than the knowledge of near-certain death.

.

The faint thud of a falling body in the distance woke Grrlash from his fitful doze. He pricked up his ears and listened, finally hearing near-silent footsteps approaching. A moment later, Mariah appeared on the other side of the barred door, and stared at him.

"You weren't kidding about your state, I suppose that they wanted everyone to be able to see that you're a so-called demon." she said.

Grrlash shifted slightly, hitching the belt of his crudely-shortened trousers slightly higher.

"We can trade remarks all night, or you can get me free. You have the keys to my manacles?"

Mariah opened the door and sidled in, shaking her head. Grrlash stared in shock at the wispy material that made up the majority of her garment, and only stopped staring when she replied.

"No, I couldn't find them. I did find a knife..."

"HEY!"

Both Grrlash and Mariah started in shock at that shout, and both turned to face the half-opened door just as a skinny guard slammed it fully open and stepped down into the cell.

"You're still here, demon, and..."

An evil grin formed on his face as he moved towards Mariah, who backed away slightly, adopting a defensive stance. As the Guard moved past Grrlash, Grrlash launched himself forwards, aiming his most powerful punch at the guard's stomach.

He had forgotten about the chains that linked his manacles to the wall.

With an explosion of masonry, both wall-spikes were ripped out of their mortar-and-rock setting. The sudden resistance slowed Grrlash slightly, but not enough to make any noticeable difference. The guard was bodily hurled backwards, ricocheting off the wall and collapsing in a heap on the ground. Grrlash turned and saw Mariah start to remove her veils.

" _What_ are you doing?"

"Shut up and get the Guard's uniform off him."

Grrlash nodded in belated understanding and wrapped the chains round his wrists before bending to his task, carefully not looking at the source of fabric-whispers behind him.

.

The guard strode along, his beardless visored face set in lines of anger as he accompanied a tall, hooded priest along the high-street. The few citizens who inhabited the night faded into alleys and crannies, out of the way of the two beings. At the edge of the city, in the shadow of the walls, the two beings climbed the steps beside the closed and guarded gates, finally stopping just next to one of the gate-towers. They turned to face the forest outside the city, and then an alarm bell started to ring at the citadel behind them. Without a single word, the priest grabbed the guard, slung him over his shoulder and leaped over the parapet, dropping six metres and landing in a brief crouch before sprinting off into the forest at an inhuman velocity, his robes flying around him, allowing the startled wall-sentries glimpses of the non-human feet that propelled him to safety.

Once in the forest, the pseudo-priest carefully lowered the guard back to the ground, then stripped off his stolen finery and stretched.

"Nothing like a nice brisk run at night time."

Mariah removed her helmet and shook out her hair before replying.

"Nice for you, but not for me. By the way, good idea on finding the palace laundry and borrowing our host's priest's clothes for you."

Grrlash nodded, and allowed himself a fang-filled grin, then he cocked his head and pricked his ears.

"The gate has just opened, and a big search-party is coming out. A very big one, on horses. We have to get out of here, try to get to safety."

Mariah nodded.

"Indeed. Our ship's totaled, thanks to that superstitious old git and his engineers and their gunpowder, we have no real off-world communication capabilities and it'll be at least fifteen days before a rescue-cruiser responds to our lack of status reports. We need to get to somewhere safe, and obvious."

Grrlash sniffed the air, then started to jog off. Mariah caught up with him, only for him to swing her carry-back style onto his back before increasing his speed. Mariah held on tightly as he dodged trees and leapt over small bushes, occasionally running on all fours.

"Any particular reason that we're going this way?"

"The breeze smelled of snow and it's summer here. Must be a mountain within two day's travel, we can fort-up there if he's still after us by the time we reach it."

"Makes sense." said Mariah as she ducked to avoid being knocked out by a speeding branch.

.

Grrlash jolted awake at Mariah's light touch, and quickly rolled into a combat-crouch, claws extended and fangs bared.

"Blahdy hellfire, whit manner of beastie be that?"

Grrlash turned his head slightly, locating the speaker instantly despite the mottled green-and-brown clothing that he wore. Behind him, Mariah rose slowly.

"By the Great Ones, ah beastie an' ah beauty. Who be ye both, an' whit do ye want 'ere?"

Grrlash carefully straightened up slightly, his eyesight noting numerous shapes surrounding them, many armed with sticks, swords, daggers or even bows and arrows. Behind him, he heard Mariah speak.

"I am Mariah Starborn, and this is my friend and travelling companion Grrlash Galrraanaa of F'Linia. We were captured and imprisoned by High-Leader Peteral and managed to escape. He didn't take it very well."

The leader of the gang walked forwards, stroking his facial hair, which he had grown in a style that made him seem to slightly resemble a F'Linian.

"Ah'm Angus McClaccan, leader o' the Free Rangers. If ye be escapees from ol' Peteral, t' ol' git, then ye welcome 'ere, no matter 'ow ye looks. We 'ave a safer place than this near, tis only a cave, but tis well 'idden. T' ol' git is only a league from 'ere, so we should move, ye ken?"

Mariah nodded, and Angus turned and made a complex set of gestures, Several of the shadows vanished, and the others split into two groups, the first of which spread out in a chevron formation and headed into the forest.

"If ye'll follow me men, we'll be in t' cave afore dawn. On t' way, can ye tell me where ye come from?"

"Sure." replied Mariah, "But first can you tell me what hornets-nest we've stirred up by entering this land?"

An hour later, Grrlash's head was spinning as he fought to come to grips with what they had been told. The colony world that they were exploring had indeed regressed from its original technological level, with the exceptions of the High-Leaders and their Magi-Forces, who used technology disguised as magic to cow the rest of the populace and keep them in line. The rebels, like the party led by Angus McClaccan, were peasants who had revolted and run away, and were joined by the idealistic younger sons and daughters of the Magi-Forces, who in turn aided the rebels in reaching a similar level of technology. This had led to a near-permanent state of guerrilla warfare, and the usage of special near-indestructible tracking-collars on peasants to prevent them from joining the Rebel bands.

"So ye see," concluded Angus, "We be lookin' for any tech that t' Magi drop when they ran awae after our las' run-in, and also fer uncollared people tae join us tae make up t' numbers agin. We didnae expect to see a beauty in a guard uniform an' a man-cat, but every cloud has a silver linin'. Now, tell me aboot yeselves."

Mariah and Grrlash exchanged glances and Grrlash motioned that Mariah should take charge of the conversation.

"Grrlash and myself are travellers from a distant land, we scout new places for any sign of new allies, or old enemies like those that destroyed our first homeland, Earth, also called Sol III."

"Ahhh." nodded Angus. "Terrasanctus Sothri, the Holy Home in t' stars, destroyed bae t' daemonspawn Slants, an' forcin' our ancestors to sail through t' heavens to this place, Newlande. Yer distan' land in t' heavens also, aye?"

Mariah glanced round at the escorts.

"Yes, my homeland is called Technosia, Grrlash's homeworld is called F'Linia. My people have prospered and spread across over a thousand systems, under the banner of the Technoss, and met many other people. We've also found our ancient enemies, the Zhlantans, and engaged them in combat."

Angus stopped dead and stared at them, as did those in the escort close enough to overhear them.

"Ye've found t' daemonspawn Slants?"

"Yes, and we fight them under the name of Technoss, so as to not let them know that they failed to destroy humanity. Over seventy other peoples have joined us, including some who can fly, and others who can only breathe what would be poison to you and I. As well as our allies, we also have neighbors, the Galactic Federation, consisting of many hundreds of different peoples. We trade with them, and counter the Zhlantan's manipulations."

Angus nodded slowly.

"Aye, Ah just aboot understand ye. And ye say yer stranded here?"

"Yes, until our rescue craft arrives."

Angus nodded again.

"Now ye ha'e found us, whit do ye intend to do?"

"Place this planet under our protection and establish an embassy on every landmass to bring your people up to a level where you can decide if you wish to rejoin the war against the Zhlantans."

Angus snorted.

"Aye, ah ken whit yer sayin. Well, mae home is yer home fer as long as ye're waitin fer yer maties tae come."

As Mariah nodded, the party stopped in front of a large waterfall.

"Welcome to mae home."

.

CLANG!

"Ow!"

Grrlash's yelp echoed off the walls of the cavern behind the waterfall, and the second chain landed on the floor, followed by the tools dropped by the scared human. As Mariah scooped up the hammer and chisel and handed them back to the smith, Grrlash carefully dabbed at the scrape on his left wrist.

"S-s-sorry about th-that."

Grrlash nodded slowly, and stooped to pick up both chains. The smith moved closer and looked at them, his awe overcoming his fear.

"You say that you ripped these from out of the wall?"

Grrlash nodded as he placed the chains in the smith's large hands and picked up one of the bowls of stew that a nervous girl had placed on the anvil before fleeing. Ignoring the small utensil that he now knew was called a _spoon_ , he lifted it to his lips and drained it in one movement before placing it back on the anvil. Mariah glanced at him in amusement before starting her bowl.

"Yes. I tested the strength of the chain links, but not that of the spikes in the wall. When I punched the guard, the spikes just ripped out."

The smith nodded, carefully coiling the chains as he slowly backed away from Grrlash.

"I can make several weapons out of these, or melt them and forge at least three-score new war-arrowheads. Thanks for bringing them."

"Not a problem."

Grrlash stretched slightly, and then turned to face Angus, who was leaning against the doorframe, a large grin infusing his features.

"And what are _you_ grinning at?"

"You. Ye rip spikes outta t' wall an' act as if twas nowt, but make a braw fuss aboot a minor scritch."

Mariah looked up from her soup, her head tilted to one side.

"Why do you speak with that funny accent, when it's obvious that it isn't even your true one?"

Angus looked startled, then grinned.

"Concealment, really. All of us McClaccans are renowned for our accents, so a sudden lack of one marks us as obviously not being a McClaccan. Coupled with a change of clothing and a shaved face, I go from being Angus McClaccan, Most Wanted, to plain Sam, peddler and general trader. All my family do it."

Mariah nodded and passed the remains of her soup to Grrlash, who drained it in one swift gulp.

"Do you have any spare clothing?"

Angus nodded, and retrieved a bundle of fabric from beside the door. Separating it, he handed the larger portion to Mariah.

"Breeches, belt, under- and overtunics and boots your size, my eldest is growing like a weed, and don't need them no more. For you, Growlish."

"Grrlash."

Angus' grin got wider.

"Alright, _Grrlash_ , a pair of loose breeches, a belt and a sleeveless overtunic, we've got nowt else anywhere near your size. You can use that storeroom there to get changed, ladies first."

As Mariah entered the small room, Angus moved to one of the two stools by the workbench, and gestured for Grrlash to take a seat next to him on the crude but serviceable bench.

"Grrlash, I have to admit that you do make me uneasy, I'm used to humans, not whatever you are."

"A F'Linian."

"Indeed. I suppose that F'Linian's are a large part of this Technoss?"

Grrlash shook his head in the human-style negative.

"I am one of only twelve F'Linians in the Technoss, F'Linia itself is not part of the Technoss Collective."

At Angus' perplexed expression, Grrlash elaborated.

"The Technoss aided my home-planet in freeing itself from the Zhlantans, who had invaded it seeking a mineral which would have allowed them to build more warships that could travel between the stars. The Technoss made contact with my people, and agreed to help us to repel the Zhlantans in exchange for payment. The battles waged across the system for years, but with the aid of the Technoss, we finally managed to push the Zhlantans back to their original stronghold.  
"During the final battle, I took an injury that would have killed me had the Technoss not transported me to one of their Command Ships, and used their skills to save my life, rebuilding my skull and almost half my hindbrain. When I recovered, they gave me a choice, to return to my planet with no memory of the time between the battle and my return, or to join the Technoss. I chose to join, and have not yet regretted it."

"I'm glad to hear it."

Grrlash and Angus both turned to see Mariah leaning against the doorjamb of the storeroom, clad in her new clothes. As she moved forwards, Grrlash picked up his pile and strode into the storeroom, allowing the dividing curtain to fall across behind him. As he changed, he heard Mariah and Angus start to talk, but paid no heed to their barely-audible words.

.

Grrlash strode into the main cavern, and smiled inwardly as the noise level dropped suddenly. A circle of silence surrounded him as he walked across to the fireplace, where a cook was looking at him with a near-panicked expression, as if expecting Grrlash to rip his throat out and dine on his twitching corpse. As Grrlash approached, he reached out and snagged a large bowl from the pile on the side-table. Ignoring the way that the other diners stared at him, he stopped in front of the cook and held out the bowl.

"What's in the pot?"

The cook blinked as he tried to recollect his scattered wits.

"D-d-d-deer and v-veget-t-table st-t-tew."

Grrlash nodded and scooped the ladle from the cook's unresisting hand, using it to fill his bowl. Handing the ladle back to the cook, he turned and walked to an empty corner table. Sitting down he breathed in deeply, savouring the aroma of the stew, then looked up in surprise as someone sat down opposite him.

"And you are..?"

The small boy blinked, then smiled.

"I'm Johnny McClaccan, Angus's son. You must be Grrlash, no-one else here has nearly as much hair."

To hide his smile, Grrlash raised his bowl and drained it in one long gulp. Putting the empty bowl back down, he raised one eyebrow at Johnny.

"Aren't you scared of me?"

Johnny shook his head and grinned again.

"Nah. Dad says you're a good'un, and he don't say that about most people. That means that he likes you alot, and _that_ means you're safe."

Grrlash grinned, noting the way that Johnny didn't react to the sight of his fangs, then cocked his head.

"Have you eaten?"

"Yep, but not as fast as you. I'm on highpoint lookout duty soon, d'you want to join me?"

Grrlash stood up and expertly frisbee'd his bowl across the room and into the trough that the other diners placed their empty plates and bowls in.

"Lead on, Johnny."

.

Grrlash relaxed on the branch as Johnny wedged himself against the trunk of the tree. Looking round, Grrlash could see a distant smudge that he assumed was a city, and several other interesting features.

"Is that Peteral's city?"

Johnny squinted slightly, then nodded.

"Yep, that's Three-River City. Peteral's personal playground and stronghold. I heard from Dad that you escaped from him, but how'd he catch you in the first place?"

Grrlash scanned the horizon before answering.

"You saw a falling star about a sevenday ago?"

Johnny nodded, curiously.

"That star was the survey spaceship that Mariah and I were travelling in. On the way in, we were hit by a rogue asteroid shower that overloaded our shield systems and damaged our navigation equipment. We managed to guide our ship through the atmosphere into a controlled landing, then we started repairs. To aid our repairs, and because we were in an area that we knew was unexplored by any other species, we removed our armor in order to do the delicate work. Peteral had seen our fall, and came out with a full battalion of guards. He managed to sneak up on us, and threatened to kill Mariah if I didn't surrender."

"So you did."

Grrlash nodded, even though it wasn't a question.

"Yes. I did, and his men bound me hand and foot. While they were doing that, Peteral looked into our ship and decided that as he couldn't understand it, it was made by the devil. He had his engineers place forty barrels of gunpowder inside, and lit the fuse himself. The explosion destroyed everything within a mile of the ship, and nearly killed him. Only the fact that he was in a small valley saved him from the blast."

"What made the boom so big?"

Grrlash smiled bitterly.

"The ship used a process called Hydrogen Fusion to produce power for movement, protection and everything else. The explosion destroyed the magnetic bottle that made it safe, and so it escaped in a very big boom. He still had to replace all the glass in his palace when we left his city."

Johnny nodded.

"Dad'll be glad to hear that it was an accident. He was worried that the Magi had created a new weapon. The crater was _really_ impressive."

Grrlash nodded slowly, his imagination providing a picture of the results of an uncontrolled fusion explosion.

"Yes, I can imagine."

Johnny stayed quiet for a few minutes, scanning the horizon intently, then frowned and spoke again.

"Grrlash?"

"Yes?"

"What's an asteroid shower?"

.

The shouts and clash of swords echoing through the caverns roused Grrlash from his slumbers. Going from sleep to full wakefulness in a single instant, Grrlash bounded out of his bed and sprinted towards the entrance. Plowing into the melee raging in the prime cavern, he quickly spotted the tall figure of Angus, and spun through the confusion to take position beside him. Mariah, frantically blocking a sword with two daggers, barely glanced at him, but Angus nodded gratefully as the attacking Guardsmen withdrew slightly in the face of an unexpected enemy.

"Thank t' lord yer here, we be sore pressed."

Grrlash bodily lifted one guardsman and hurled him backwards, flattening three of his colleagues.

"How'd they find us?"

"Traitor, one o' our new boys. He said 'e was t' las survivor o' a massacre."

Grrlash nodded and absently lashed out, catching another guardsman and hurling him backwards.

"Can we hold?"

"No, but t' others are usin t' back door to get awa'."

Grrlash nodded and then ducked under a probing spear. Grabbing it, he yanked it out of the hands of the surprised enemy, and swiftly used its butt to send half a dozen guards reeling before lashing out and stunning the guard attempting to stab Mariah.

"comeinteamepsilonfivewhereareyou?"

Grrlash blinked, then yanked his comm-ring out of its braid and tossed it to Mariah, who caught it and dropped back a few paces. Angus spared him an inquisitive glance as he moved across to cover the resultant gap.

"Just keep fighting!"

Angus nodded and blocked the descending blade of a large guardsman. Grrlash spun and leapt, using the grounded spear to support him as he kicked two guards, sending them clear out of the cave entrance. A moment later, the invaders were pinned by a shaft of blue-white light, and scores of silver-clad beings dropped down, surrounding them and closing in on them, forcing them to surrender. Angus barely managed to hold onto his sword as Mariah rejoined them, nodding at the new arrivals.

"Well, coming to say hello?"

* * *

.

Angus looked out of the bridge viewport, ignoring the bulk of the shield-class warship but concentrating instead on the city encircling a mountain, a city that covered the middle-third like a mottled band of white and green on a grey cone with a white tip.

"There it is, Mage City, capital of the High-Leaders, and the High-Lord himself. Impregnable, with its own water supply and food-fields above the city to prevent itself from falling to siege. I never thought that I would see this day, when the city could actually be threatened."

Grrlash nodded slowly.

"Yes. It is a good thing that a full squadron of Shield-class ships were patrolling the border on a shake-down cruise, or we wouldn't have the ability to free the majority of the population. However, I do worry about culture-shock."

The background rumble of the vessel rose, and the landscape on either side started to move. Far to the left and right, the shapes of two other Shield-class vessels could be seen, each with an escort of two sword-class and four dagger-class ships surrounding them. Ahead of them, the city started to become more distinct, the walls crowded with guards, the streets filled with milling crowds. As the ships got closer to the city, the streets cleared as if by magic, and cannons on the wall started to fire, clouds of gunsmoke briefly marking the position of each gun. The navigation shields didn't even flicker as the projectiles hit and vaporised.

"Come," said Mariah suddenly, "Lets get to the landing shuttles. Grrlash, I checked and our new armour is finally built and tested. Let's suit up and move out. Coming, Angus?"

Angus nodded absently, still staring out of the viewport. Grrlash shrugged, then lifted him up and carried him from the bridge.

"Okay, I'm coming! Put me down!"

.

The rifles barked and Grrlash turned slightly, just in time to see the bullets impact on his energy shield and drop to the floor. A bolt of blue energy marked the return fire of one of the scouting legionaries, returning lethal fire with a stun-bolt. Without breaking step, Grrlash and Mariah led the phalanx of legionaries surrounding Angus up the main street, towards the large building where the High-Leaders had been captured.

Striding through the door, the rest of the phalanx broke off to reinforce the legionaries already guarding the building. Grrlash, Angus and Mariah continued forwards, coming to a halt in the large hall where the now disarmed High-Lord and the High-Leaders were sitting at a large three-quarters circle-shaped table, nervously aware of the Legionaries stationed in each corner. The High-Lord rose bravely.

"I demand to know who you are, and why you have invaded us. If you do not answer, you will face our wrath."

Mariah held out her arm to restrain Angus, and de-opaqued her helmet. Grrlash followed her lead, and a portly High-Leader on the left of the table froze with shock. Angus smiled nastily and stepped forwards.

"Hello _High-Leader_ Peteral. It's good to finally meet you face-to-face. I heard so much about you from Mariah and Grrlash here, you remember them? Mariah, who you were going to take as your newest slave-bride, and Grrlash, whom you were going to burn to death, despite the fact that they're part of the alliance against the Zhlantans, and willing to let us back into the old battle?"

The entire hall fell silent as all eyes glared at Peteral, who turned white, and tried to shrink back into his seat. The High-Lord turned to face Mariah.

"Is what this man says true?"

"Indeed it is. The Technoss Collective was created by Humans and includes over seventy Allied Races. In addition, we have made contact with another nine-hundred races, and are pursuing our vendetta with the Zhlantan Imperium. If you agree, we will establish Technoss outposts on this planet, and raise the technological and educational level of the entire planet. Within ten years, you will hopefully be advanced enough to provide support in the battles against the Zhlantans, within twenty you may be able to participate directly."

"And if we do not agree?" asked one of the High-Leaders.

"Then," said Mariah defiantly, "we will have no choice but to instigate a revolution to remove you from power and replace you with a government willing to grant its subjects the basic sentient rights of free movement, essential medical care and education. The choice is yours."

The entire hall erupted with shouts, yells and accusations, with only the High-Lord remaining silent among the High-Leaders. After several frenzied moments, he held up a hand, and the hall quieted.

"Gentlemen, it seems that we have only one real option, to accede to their demands, in the knowledge that however much we may find it personally repugnant, it is the right thing to do. Mariah of Technoss, we will support the establishment of your embassies, and will in return ask you to provide advisors to all of us, that we may learn that which we have obviously forgotten."

Peteral, his face suffused with rage verging on the apoplectic, rose from his seat and started yelling.

"This is unheard of! It goes against all that we hold sacred! Are you truly going to take the words of an outlaw, a demon and a whore in fancy armor over the combined wisdom of those who put you on the throne and can remove you just as easily?"

Grrlash launched himself into the air, somersaulting over the long table with a single bound and landing behind Peteral. Spinning round, he kicked the chair forwards, knocking Peteral's legs out from under him, and yanked him down into his chair, unobtrusively extending his claws slightly, piercing Peteral's robes and touching his skin.

"You will be silent!" he snarled. Peteral, unable to struggle, nodded so violently that Grrlash half-expected his head to fly across the hall.

"Grrlash."

Grrlash nodded slowly at Mariah's warning tone, and slowly loosened his grip on Peteral's shoulders. Moving away, he turned, resetting his visor back to its usual reflective appearance as he did so.

"Be grateful that he only restrained you." said Mariah in an ice-cold voice. "Had I the reflexes that my partner has, you would now be a eunuch, for what you attempted to force me into."

"Peteral!"

All eyes snapped to the High-Lord.

"Peteral, your protest has been noted, and disregarded. It is time to move forward once more. We have proven over the past centuries that oppression breeds resentment, resistance and open conflict among ourselves. It is time to let those more experienced than us show us the true path to the future. I want no more resistance and should any of you attempt any form of sabotage, be aware that I will find out about it and will help the Technoss to act accordingly. We are no longer the last humans, so let's rejoin our people."

Mariah bowed in recognition of the High-Lord's sincerity.


	5. Haven

_Technoss Embassies :- Technoss Embassies are large armoured opaque domes varying in diameter. Despite their size, they are remarkably unobtrusive, generally being located in valleys, depressions or between hills to minimize their silhouette.  
Until the F'Linian/Zhlantan war, the Technoss Embassy on Prime Planet was the largest in known space, but even it pales into insignificance compared with the Technoss Embassy located in the fourth moon of F'Linia. When the F'Linians ceded in perpetuity their fourth moon, the Technoss transformed it into an orbital fortress and Technoss Shipyard, all buried under the surface of the moon.  
The only external signs of the Technoss presence in the moon are six large domes, four on the equator and one on each pole (as determined by the rotation of the moon relative to its orbital plane), and a large array of ship-locks on the side facing away from F'Linia, leading into the interior of the moon. The storage capacity of the resultant embassy is cited as one reason why the Zhlantans have withdrawn from the disputed area and reinforced their border, even though the Technoss do not attack unless attacked themselves or hired. Due to the Zhlantan invasion, F'Linia is currently too poor to finance an assault on the Zhlantan Regime._

\- Extract from the Galactic Encyclopaedia

* * *

.

Grrlash craned his head back and looked at the green-and-blue planet seemingly floating motionless relative to the base.

"I know."

Grrlash frowned in confusion and turned to stare quizzically at Mariah.

"You know what?"

"How you must feel, so close to home, yet so far."

Grrlash shook his head.

"For once, you're wrong. I was thinking how proud I am to be a guardian of my homeworld. Even when officially dead, I still protect it."

Mariah smiled, and resumed walking forwards towards their destination.

"I stand corrected. Now come on, we'll miss the dedication ceremony."

Grrlash glanced at her, a twinkle in his eye, then swung her into a carry-back position. Mariah just managed to grab onto his body-harness before Grrlash bounded forward, using all four limbs to accelerate to a speed twice as fast as any unarmoured human could have managed. Racing down the corridor, Grrlash used the corridor walls as springboards round corners, using his superior reflexes and senses to detect any obstacles and dodge them. Mariah ducked down as he sprinted at a large door, but at the last instant Grrlash half-turned and skidded along the metal floor, using friction to slow himself down enough so that the doors opened just before he reached them. As he passed under the door-arch, he launched himself into the air and managed to insert a single claw into one of the free-floating balconies, flipping himself up in a perfect parabolic arc that dropped him and Mariah in the central aisle, just beside a vacant pair of seats.  
As Mariah relaxed her death-grip on him, Grrlash grinned at the spontaneous applause that greeted his impromptu athleticism. Bowing to the audience, he sat down on a form-seat, wriggling slightly as the advanced chair reconfigured itself to accommodate his frame. Mariah sat down next to him, and turned her attention to the fifty-klick wide cavern on the other side of the reinforced viewport. Visible to the right was a large ten-klick concave dish of ceramic plates studded with multiple energy projectors and other miscellaneous equipment, and a ring bordering it, set a full half-klick out from the dish and supported by over sixty pillars.

"Ladies, Gentlemen and beings of all other genders, welcome to the activation ceremony of the F'Linian-Base Star-Portal, the first Star-Portal ever constructed outside Technoss Space, and the first designed for use specifically inside a Technoss Embassy."

Grrlash pulled his gaze away from the Star-Portal and towards the speaker, the black-skinned Technoss Council-Leader Jaxon Light, who stood resplendent in his ceremonial armour, with his helmet tucked under one arm. Behind him, a Dagger-class ship drifted out of one of the many docking bays around the edge of the cavern and moved to the centre of the cavern using only its mass-reaction thrusters. Coming to a halt, it re-oriented itself to face the Star-Portal, and waited. Silhouetted against the amazing panorama, Jaxon strode to a pillar located at the midpoint of the viewport.

"Dagger-class vessel Silent Peace, report."

A viewscreen set above the viewport flickered into life, showing the image of a middle-aged human female.

"This is Captain Ghana Darktree of the Silent Peace, receiving you loud and clear, Council-Leader Jaxon Light. All systems functioning at optimum, full fuel cells, weapons on standby, shields on navigation setting. Ready for Portal-voyage."

"Very good. Portal control, report."

A second viewscreen flickered into life.

"This is Technician-Commander Tigris Wessel." stated the three-eyed being on the viewscreen. "We have made contact with New Earth and they are ready to link us with their Orbital Portal number fifteen. Ready to proceed."

"Activate."

The main ring of the portal started to glow and energy started to flicker across the gap, increasing in frequency until within three breaths the entire dish was hidden by a curtain of shimmering energy. Suddenly the energy seemed to fold itself back into the ring, revealing a starfield and another planet. Before Grrlash could ask where the planet was, the _Silent Peace_ accelerated forward and passed through the Portal, with only a small shimmer of energy to indicate the boundary between two locations many light-years apart. The portal shimmered once again, wiping the sight from view and showing the enormous dish once more.

"Transit successful." announced the tech.

Jaxon turned to face the audience.

"Today we have taken yet another step in our quest, my friends. Today, we have linked our fate and that of the F'Linian Empire. I have here a message from Empress Ghjaaryah III of F'Linia."

Jaxon produced an ornate scroll from his cloak and unrolled it.

"From Empress Ghjaaryah III of the F'Linian Empire, Daughter of Emperor Ghjarussa IV, to the Technoss Collective.  
"I confirm now, in my own words, and by my own hand, the ceding of the fourth moon of F'Linia to the Technoss Collective for all time. In addition, I also confer upon the Technoss Collective the status of most-favoured trading partner and confirm that should the Technoss ever require our help, we shall aid with all the resources available to us. This oath of aid shall bind the F'Linian Empire for as long as even a single F'Linian is still alive.  
"We are also pleased to cede the island of K'Tarrl to the Technoss, for the purpose of establishing a secondary embassy near the Palace, and will gladly welcome and accept a Technoss ambassador at our court.  
"By my own hand, and under my royal signet, sealed with my blood,  
"Empress Ghjaaryah III."

Jaxon looked up at the audience.

"Lieutenant Grrlash Galrraanaa. As you hail from F'Linia and are well versed in the customs of your homeworld, please explain to your colleagues what this means."

Grrlash rose, marshalling his thoughts.

"The sealing of blood is an ancient ritual, dating back over three millennia. Once used, the promise it seals may never be broken, for to do so is to destroy the souls of the one who made the promise and the one who broke it. It is rarely used, and is an honor beyond all honors.  
"The most-favored trading partner means that no import or export charges shall be levied on goods to and from the Technoss Collective. There may only be a maximum of three most-favored at any time, and with the sealing of blood invoked, the status awarded to the Technoss will never, no, _can_ never be revoked.  
"The oath of aid is recognition of a debt greater than a Life-debt, it is a Life-debt owed by the entire Empire, no-one will dare to question it once invoked, and it will never be repaid no matter how often it is invoked.  
"Finally, the island of K'Tarrl is a large rocky island three klicks long and one klick wide located merely a quarter-klick away from the island on which the Palace is located. According to tradition, no F'Linian may build within ten klicks of the palace, but Empress Ghjaaryah III has side-stepped the tradition in allowing us to establish an embassy there, and will probably allow a bridge to be built to the palace to allow unlimited access."

Jaxon nodded.

"Our representative on F'Linia has already confirmed that last part, Lieutenant, and we will install a dedicated Portal to connect this base to the one on F'Linia. Those who wish to be assigned to F'Linia are to apply to their superiors after the mid-shift meal tomorrow. Finally, Captain Mariah Starborn, please report to me at seventeen-hundred."

* * *

.

The wind whistled through the trees as Mariah and Grrlash exited the Technoss Planetary Base P3N7E2 (Haven System) and started to jog towards a mansion on the horizon.

"I must admit that I'm looking forwards to meeting Zkryrger III at last." said Grrlash as he dodged a small bush that was impinging onto the roadway. "What is the correct protocol?"

Mariah smiled.

"His mansion is totally secure, so if he asks you, don't hesitate to de-opaque your visor. We keep our armor on, however."

Grrlash nodded and absently ducked under a branch. Far to his left, a quartet of Legionaries jogged away from the road in perfect lockstep.

"What does the position of Guardian-Legionary entail exactly?"

"We sparingly answer questions, and relay questions from central base. We also pilot speeders, provide on-site security and services and ensure that those we are looking after are not subjected to external manipulation by those seeking to sabotage the Technoss."

As she spoke, Mariah slightly adjusted her pace, matching Grrlash's perfectly. A moment later, a legionary-piloted vehicle carrying an aged portly sentient passed the other way. The old being barely glanced at them as the vehicle passed.

"We also hone our co-operation skills, acting in unison. The Haven system is a good place to start new rumors about us, especially with our guests in contact with extra-system friends and acquaintances. For instance, Zkryrger III is engaged in a game of old-chess by correspondence with a Kleyantoth on Prime Planet. They send holo-messages to each other, carried by Technoss-carriers. Multiply that by several million, add in the knowledge that each sentient carries, and you can see why we provided this system."

Grrlash nodded, then slowed as they approached a large structure. He looked at it and frowned.

"Have I seen this somewhere before?"

"Probably in the history lessons. Zkryrger III modelled it after a famous Old Earth building called the Australian Outback Stellar Observatory And Research Centre using fragments of records in his collection, and data supplied by us. The dish in front of us is a replica of the Queen Elizabeth II Dish, upgraded with our technologies."

She paused as she tapped several controls on her arm-panel, then turned slightly towards a small door inset in the building.

"He is expecting us, and is waiting in main control. This way."

.

Grrlash felt his eyebrows lift in shock as they entered the Control Centre after passing through a series of security arches. On one wall, a large screen provided a view of a Technoss lab, whose occupants were tossing technobabble at each other and to the occupants of the control room.  
Over twenty multi-function interface stations were in the room, grouped in fours and all under a roof-mounted Holo-display that was projecting a full map of the galaxy, along with a vast array of glowing lines and irregular shapes representing common trade-routes and civilizations, both known and unknown to Grrlash. Nevertheless, almost half the Holo-map was unmarked, indicating that it was still being explored and updated.  
The light cast by the equipment reflected off the stylized armor of many Technoss Scientists who were manning the stations, and off the pebbled skin of the frail form of Zkryrger III, ensconced in a floating bed/chair that supported him. Even as he saw him, Zkryrger III rotated his hoverplatform and manipulated hidden controls to fly over to them.

"Greetings Captain Starborn, Lieutenant Galrraanaa."

Mariah bowed slightly and de-opaqued her helmet, smiling at their host.

"Zkryrger III, it is an honour to meet you. You have been briefed on us?"

Zkryrger waved a thin tentacle in affirmation and rotated his chair to face the bustling laboratory.

"Magnificent, isn't it? Cutting edge Technoss-technology, instant communications with multiple Technoss labs deep in Hivespace via data-Portals, access to the largest collections of data-files in the Galaxy and still expanding. Since I came here, I've been churning out new work for the Galactic Alliance at the rate of one major full translation every T-year."

Grrlash nodded and Zkryrger's features twisted with pleasure.

"Ah, but I do so much more than that. With the help of my dedicated students," and one tentacle waved at the armoured figures concentrating on their workstations, "I can translate and decode the writings of long-extinct species on planets discovered by the Technoss, or aid in first-contact situations with new life-forms, advising and aiding. I have never been happier. But enough about me. I understand that you two are here to protect me?"

At Mariah's nod, Zkryrger tilted his head slightly.

"Who would dare attack me, when I'm surrounded by all of you? In Hivespace, no-one could reach me without having to take on the entire Technoss military, and your ships are constantly patrolling the system."

"What about the Science fair on Elcalon 4?" asked Mariah. Zkryrger froze, his tentacles curled tight as he considered her words.

"Ah, yes. I had almost forgotten about that, I must be getting old. I leave in three T-days, don't I?"

"Yes you do." said Grrlash, clearing his visor. Zkryrger glanced at him, then stared, his tentacles twisting in amazement.

"I know you! Or of you, anyway. I hadn't linked the names, but I heard of you, Grrlash. The film about you is very good, is it accurate?"

Grrlash froze, unable to answer, and Mariah turned to face Zkryrger, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Is there really a film about Grrlash? And is it any good?"

"Yes there is, and yes it is." said Zkryrger III. "'The Saga of Grrlash Galrraanaa'. The three greatest actors on F'Linia volunteered to play the primary parts for living costs only. The greatest actor on F'Linia, my old friend Sharraak Kaahalla _himself_ played Grrlash and even the Technoss provided support. The film raised over twenty-nine billion credits in the first three-day, most of which went to help those whose lives had been shattered by the Zhlantans. It even won two prizes in the Galactic Film-Awards, best Action Film and best Documentary."

Grrlash's fur rippled in embarrassment and Zkryrger rummaged round in a compartment of his chair, pulling out a small data-crystal, which he handed to Mariah.

"It's a superb film. Before we leave, I'd advise you to watch it."

"Thank you, we shall." said Mariah, as Grrlash closed his eyes and thanked the Hunter that he couldn't blush like the humans could.

.

The music rose in volume, mirroring the explosion of violence on the screen. Grrlash watched with amazement as Sharraak lunged forwards a mere pace behind the legionary, firing his laser rifle at the forces flooding out from the ruined Zhlantan fortress.  
The music rose, dipped and rose again as the two forces met in combat, then silenced as the Zhlantan command that had alerted Grrlash to the presence of the Zhlantan Supreme Commander rang out over the faked battlefield.  
The music took up a new theme, redolent of anger and vengeance as Sharaak fought his way to where the Zhlantan Commander was standing, and engaged him in combat, then the film slowed, and the point of view swooped round the combatants as the swords clashed and flared. With a crashing finale that mixed both victory and defeat in a single tune, Sharaak decapitated the Zhlantan and took the blow that had almost killed Grrlash.  
The music changed from partially victorious to a keening wail for the dead as the camera slowly pulled back to show the Zhlantans defeated, with many dead on both sides, then the screen darkened, and the voice of Empress Ghjaaryah III spoke, slowly and sadly as the image of a state funeral appeared on the screen.

"With the death of the Zhlantan Supreme Commander, the war was won, and the surviving Zhlantans fled our planet. The body of Grrlash Galrraanaa was never found, although some claim that he has gone elsewhere, to return again when peril threatens the freedom of millions. To honor him, we gave our newest colony his name."

The picture on the screen altered, and a planet glowed on the screen, with a large paint-on-silver-canvas portrait of Grrlash behind it. Once again the keening wail resumed, but victory was mixed with the sadness.

"His sacrifice will be remembered, generations as yet unborn will know his name, and call him true hero. His portrait by my hand will reside in the Throne Room. This we vow, this shall be."

The music rose again, and the view faded, to be replaced by a message in the formal F'Linian script.

"This film is dedicated to Grrlash Galrraanaa and those like him." read Grrlash, moved by the unexpected tribute. "May his name be always synonymous with bravery, honour and courage."

Mariah wiped a tear from her cheek, and lifted her helmet out of her lap.

"Your people truly loved you, Grrlash."

"I know." he said quietly, moved by the final part of the film.

Mariah looked at him.

"What did I miss?"

"You saw the portrait of me above the planet?" he asked. Mariah nodded. "Only the greatest of heroes, those who prove themselves the bravest of the brave, the most honorable, and who sacrifice themselves for their planet, or race, can be honored that way, by an official Silverportrait, created by the reigning Monarch, and only they have planets named after them. Only one Silverportrait can be made by each Monarch and the portrait is displayed in the Throne Room forever on one of the Ten Thousand Panels. By doing this, they have in effect transformed me into what your people call a saint."

Mariah looked at him, then nodded slowly.

"You were right, that is a true honor."

Grrlash replaced his helmet and stood up.

"We have a job to do, Mariah."

"Just like that? You shake it off just like that?"

Grrlash shook his head.

"No, the memory will never leave, but duty drives me. As it does you."

Mariah nodded and rose to stand beside him.

"Grrlash, I knew that it was bad for you, but I never knew about your family and your loss. I'm sorry..."

Grrlash shrugged.

"The pain fades over time."

Mariah hugged Grrlash, their armor making a tinny sound.

"If there's anything I can do to help..."

"No, but thank-you."

Grrlash reached out and removed the data-crystal.

"I'll return this to Zkryrger, you start checking out the transport arrangements."

Mariah grinned and nodded. At the door, she stopped and turned.

"Grrlash?"

"Yes?"

"Don't be surprised by what happens."

Grrlash pondered her cryptic comment as he moved back towards the laboratory.

.

"I'm a what?!"

The Commodore on the comm-screen looked at him askance.

"A Captain. I do believe that you are familiar with the rank." At Grrlash's stunned nod, he continued. "You have proven yourself fully capable of handling unusual and possibly deadly situations, you excelled in your last exams and your combat record is longer than that of many with five times your service. We are just restoring the rank you had during the F'Linian/Zhlantan war, just before you joined us, you deserve it. However, you will still be partnered with Captain Mariah Starborn, you two have proven yourselves to be one of our best special-force teams."

Grrlash nodded again, too numb to speak. The Commodore glanced down at his data-pad and then looked directly at him.

"Captain Galrraanaa, the Council _itself_ has expressed an interest in you, and I am sure that I need not remind you how rare that is. You have a huge reputation to live up to, but I am confident that you can do so. Prove me right, Captain, and good luck."

Without any further ado, the Commodore terminated the link, leaving Grrlash in a state of near-shock. Only the sudden cheering of the technicians, and the sound of Zkryrger's tentacles slapping with approval jolted him back to normality.

"Escorted to Elcalon 4 by two Technoss Captains, that is a true honor indeed. Captain Grrlash, you do an old sentient great honor."

Grrlash nodded slowly, then turned.

"Thank you, I will do my utmost to ensure that your trust is not misplaced."

Zkryrger twisted his tentacles in a complex pattern and activated his voder again.

"It is not, young Captain. it is not."

* * *

.

Outside the ship, Elcalon 4 was busy, but the omnipresent crowd retreated hurriedly as Grrlash, Mariah and Zkryrger exited the landing field. Grrlash constantly scanned the crowds, searching for any sign of danger. Behind Zkryrger, Mariah did the same thing. Zkryrger floated between them, the faintest of shimmers around him denoting the presence of a protective force-field projected by his hoverplatform.

"All currently clear." transmitted Grrlash as he stalked forward, noting the awe and sometimes terror in the faces of the members of the crowd.

"Next left, and continue half a klick." transmitted Mariah. Grrlash nodded without letting his helmet move, and turned into the secondary thoroughfare, still scanning the crowd and the buildings around him. As a result, he was looking at the half-ruined tower when a sudden small plume of smoke marked the launch of a rocket.

"Take cover!" he bellowed, activating his arm-pulsar and firing it with a single movement. The rocket exploded in a huge fireball as Mariah hurled Zkryrger's hoverplatform into a display niche and interposed herself between him and the threat, laser-rifle suddenly in her hands and energy shield sparking.

"Zkryrger's safe, get the attackers."

Grrlash launched himself into the air, his booster jets hurling him into a perfect trajectory. Smashing through the aging reinforced viewports, he caught a glimpse of movement from a closing door. Barrelling forward, he smashed straight through the doorway and unleashed a stun burst that missed the fleeing being by less than the width of his own hand.  
Cursing, he leapt onto the staircase, and promptly discovered that they wouldn't hold his weight, since he had forgotten about his armor. Plastic snapped and he tumbled down, trying to catch hold of anything that could support him. As he smashed through the second flight of stairs, he saw the being beneath him, looking up at him with horror. He had just enough time to recognize the species before he slammed into it, smashing it through multiple flights stairs and into the foundations. Standing up amidst the wreckage, he looked down, then shook his head.

"Report."

Grrlash started, then activated his comm.

"Zhlantan assassin, sub-neuter gender. Armed with missile launcher. Couldn't take it alive, it's dead."

"Visual?"

Grrlash activated the visor-camera link-up and focused it on the corpse, impaled on half a dozen broken plastic support struts.

"Confirmed. Get back here. And good work."

Grrlash looked round, then leapt up through the final hole, landing on the ground floor. Moving fast, he smashed through the door and onto the now-deserted street, where Mariah and Zkryrger III were waiting. Taking up his leading position, he started to move forwards at high speed, hearing behind him the whine of jets on the hoverplatform, and the steady sound of Mariah's running footsteps.

.

The door hissed open and Grrlash barreled through, laser rifle primed and sweeping round. The only beings in the lobby were an aging receptionist, and several luggage-assistants who either fainted or fled instantly. The receptionist, however, acted as if armed Technoss-Legionaries stormed into the hotel on a regular basis, and merely looked down at his data-pad.

"Ah, one of Zkryrger III's party, I assume?"

Grrlash merely moved aside, allowing Zkryrger to enter, with Mariah remaining close to him. The clerk nodded, and held up a data-card.

"The key to your suite, sir. The rooms have already been paid for, courtesy of the Technoss, and on behalf of the Primary Hotel, may I wish you a stress-free and comfortable stay."

As Zkryger III nodded, Grrlash took the data-card and scanned it reflexively. Moving across, he entered the lift and scanned the interior before nodding to Mariah that it was safe. Before Mariah could say anything, Zkryrger piloted his hoverplatform into the lift, allowing Mariah and Grrlash to form a living wall between him and any possible danger.

.

"Found another." transmitted Grrlash as he extended his power-gauntlet claws and carefully sliced a small surveillance device out from where it was half-buried in a delicate molding round the window. Holding it up, he ran a deeper scan on it. "Looks like a Shaqniel device this time."

Turning, he placed it in a bowl, along with the other fourteen devices that he and Mariah had located. Zkryrger scooped it up and examined it, turning it in his tentacles.

"Shaqniel surveillance microphone/camera, probably used by the third clan." he surmised before placing it back in the bowl, turning it slightly so that it directly faced a similar device used by the enemies of the Shaqniel. Meanwhile, Grrlash altered the perceptual range of his visor, and caught a glimpse of something.

"Cute." he snarled, crouching down and probing at the spot. Both Zkryrger and Mariah moved in to look.

"What is it?" asked Mariah.

"Fiber-optic cable, with convex end for maximum view angle. No electronics within scanning distance, and with the right equipment at the far end, it can also pick up sound waves."

Zkryger moved across to the comm-panel and activated it, connecting with the receptionist. Grrlash sliced off the end of the cable, covered the remnants with special quick-set insulating foam, then scanned the fragment he held and cursed.

"This is bad, nine-sided polygonal extrusion on the outer casing, three interwoven strands inside. This is Zhlantan technology. The bastards are getting sneakier." He scanned it again, and suddenly smiled.

"I can trace this, Yldanium XIV is present in the casing. I'll find the actual transmitter device and destroy it."

Mariah scanned the quarters once more, then nodded.

"Go for it. I think we got them all, but I'll double-check."

"I have permission for you to find the Zhlantan device." called Zkryrger. "The hotelier was really quite apologetic, and as long as you keep damage to a minimum, you have permission to go anywhere."

Grrlash nodded, and darted out of the door, his scanners set to resonate with the trail of Yldanium XIV.

.

The receptionist stood beside Grrlash as Grrlash sliced open a pillar that didn't appear on the construction plans of the hotel. Placing the remarkably thin stone segment aside, he stood back and activated a shoulder-spotlight, allowing the receptionist to see the forest of fibre-optic cables that led into a large, unmistakably Zhlantan transmitter, which was powered by a small feed from the hotel's power system. The receptionist quivered with outrage.

"How dare the Zhlantans place their filthy spy equipment in our hotel! They must have infiltrated the construction crews to install all this, I'll make sure that they never stay here again."

"Other hotels?" asked Grrlash.

The receptionist opened his mouths to answer, then froze in shock.

"By the Celestial Fountain!" he whispered. "You're right! They may have infiltrated all of the Primary Hotels, and many of the other chains as well. Destroy this, and I'll warn the other hotels about this!"

As the receptionist glided off, flowing along the ground, Grrlash reached into the fake pillar and, with a grin, started to disassemble the transmitter with a total lack of pity so that it could never be rebuilt.

* * *

.

"..And so it is thus proven that the race known in legend as the Cherbimme did in fact exist, and once it knew that it was dying, devoted its energies to helping all the sentient races that it knew of, including my race, the F'Linians, the Deepdwellers, the Darklings, and even, according to my sources, the Technoss themselves."

A large gasp echoed through the auditorium, and all eyes and other optical equipment focused on Mariah and Grrlash, who were flanking Zkryrger.

"The only proof of the Technoss link which I have is a description from an old Technoss memory, describing a race called the Cherubim, who flew on wings of light and taught wisdom and compassion to those that would listen, but I think that that is proof enough, considering how little we actually know of the Technoss. Interestingly, although the Deepdwellers called them the Sky-singers, the Darklings refer to them as the Cherubim. Research unearthed the original galactic translation, and I found that the original translation missed out this symbol..."

As he spoke, a symbol appeared on the screen, resembling a vertical slash with a thickening at the base.

".. the inclusion of which changes the name to Cher _u_ bimme, remarkably similar to the Darklings pronunciation of it, despite these many millennia since their vanishing. As we speak, my offspring is leading a team of archaeologists from fifty races to the planet Seraphimme which, with the help of the Technoss, she and I deciphered the location of and believe is the homeworld of the Cherubimme. Within a standard T-month, she will report back, and the existence of the Cherubimme should be proven forever!"

The audience remained silent for a moment, digesting the unexpected news, then exploded with a variety of cheers, shouts, whistles, hollers and the clapping of various manipulatory appendages. Zkryrger bowed as deeply as his hoverplatform would allow him to, then backed away from the stage.

"Well," he said. "that's that over with, let's head back home."

Grrlash looked backwards and saw a Zhlantan glaring at him. Reaching into a storage-module on his armor, he pulled out the control-chip for the Zhlantan spy-transmitter and tossed it to the Zhlantan, who reflexively snagged it from the air, glanced at it and turned pale.

"Yes." he transmitted to Mariah. "nothing else seems to be outstanding."


	6. Return

_Sollthri :- Long believed to be a simple legend, the location of Sollthri was recently hypothesized as being in Star System A3(Epsilon)442(Gamma). The theory was first proposed by Captain Zrakker Tyllania of the Flying Shryystalker (Probe Ship APS116D33).  
The system in question (located at co-ordinates 590/004/26025, near the border of Technoss Hivespace) was briefly claimed as a prize by the Zhlantan Imperium on the basis of prior conquest (as proven by the presence of molecular chains proving the prior deployment of Bio-agent Z-116/TD in the remaining atmosphere) although the Technoss counter-claimed the system on behalf of the Galactic Alliance on the basis that the Technoss had developed a method of restoring life to planetary environments destroyed by bio-warfare. Using technology never seen before, the Technoss have already begun the long process of restoring the planet to viability.  
In exchange for the sharing of the techniques used, the Galactic Alliance promised that should any of the sentients who once inhabited the planet be proven to have survived, the planet would be handed back to them without payment. The insistence of the Technoss on this indicates that they knew the truth of the tales of the Makide of Sollthri and that they may have made contact with them in the past.  
The existence of the Makide (also called Humans) was proven beyond doubt during the events known as _The Return _. Carefully-phrased queries have so far failed to establish the link between Makide and the Technoss (if indeed there is a link)._

\- Extract from the Galactic Encyclopaedia

* * *

.

Grrlash looked out of the viewport of the Solar Warrior at a sight he thought he would never see, ships from all the other races in the Galactic Alliance forming an irregular flotilla around the larger vessel, kept at bay only be the presence of Technoss warships and two squadrons of F'Linian battlecruisers fresh from the orbital shipyards of F'Linia, each battlecruiser keeping station with a trio of Technoss Spear-class cruisers, their positioning making it clear to all without words that the Technoss and F'Linians were allies. Lifting his gaze, Grrlash looked at the planet that was the other focus for the spacegoing armada, seeing the dusty-brown of the damaged planet, and the startlingly blue bodies of water and green areas of the transplanted vat-grown plants.

"It's amazing, isn't it?"

Grrlash glanced at the speaker, and snapped to attention.

"Council-member Haarraakka! I didn't see you approach."

Gaaraal twitched his ears in amusement, and glanced down the viewing gallery where Mariah Starborn was watching the planet in silence.

"For now, Grrlash, I am just another spectator and thus claim no title, only my name. This day is the day of the humans, for they are reclaiming their homeworld at last. For them, the official landing on Earth is a day of redeeming the sacrifice that the Few made in covering their flight from this planet. Their emotions run deeper than ours, although they hide it well. Even after all this time, many aspects of the humans are an enigma to me."

Grrlash nodded.

"I have also found myself mystified by them, Gaaraal, although I owe them my life. If I could, I would swear life-fealty to them, but our customs say it may only be sworn to one, and they refuse to tell me who to swear fealty to."

"That may have been my doing."

At Gaaraal's admission, Grrlash turned to look at him with a quizzical expression. Gaaraal returned the glance and took the hint.

"I was the first F'Linian to enter the Technoss, Grrlash, as you are the twelfth. When I entered, I tried to swear life-fealty to the one who had personally dragged me out of the wreckage of my ship, Jaxon Light. At the time he did not know what it meant and when I finished explaining all the ramifications to him, he promptly refused to accept the oath, instead sending an urgent memo to the then-council leader explaining the problem and requesting a solution.  
"Since that day, no F'Linian has been allowed to swear the oath of life-fealty since the Technoss wants allies, not slaves, however willing they may be."

An approaching sparkle caught Grrlash's eye, and he turned back towards the viewport. A few seconds later, the sparkle enlarged into a small craft, but one which Grrlash had not expected to see.

"Why is a Technoss diplomatic shuttle heading towards us?"

"This is a Technoss ship. Why should it not?"

Grrlash gave his superior a fulminating stare which slid off his target like a beam of light off a mirror. Instead, Gaaraal nodded as if mentally confirming something, and turned to walk away. Grrlash moved after him.

"That shuttle has something to do with you, doesn't it."

"Indeed it does, perceptive one. There is someone on it who I must meet."

"May I ask who?"

Gaaraal shook his head but twitched his whiskers to indicate amusement.

"No, but you may act as my escort for this meeting. There will be several people who will be amazed to meet you, and I would not deny them the pleasure of meeting one of their greatest heroes."

.

The shuttle landed softly on the deck of the hangar bay as the outer door irised shut. The deck-crew moved in to attach the refueling umbilicals as Gaaraal and Grrlash moved towards the shuttle, and Gaaraal removed his helmet as the side hatch opened to reveal a female F'Linian. As Gaaraal approached, she stared wide-eyed at him, then raced forwards to embrace him, tears of joy flowing down her cheeks to mix with Gaaraal's. Grrlash stepped back slightly, and then froze as four younger yet adult F'Linians boiled out of the shuttle and flooded forwards. As Gaaraal embraced them, the female F'Linian turned to face Grrlash.

"I thank you for taking care of my life-mate…"

She broke off in confusion as Grrlash raised his hand in denial, then gasped as Grrlash removed his own helmet. Her gasp alerted her children, who looked up and froze. Gaaraal straightened up, and moved to beside his wife, his children following.

"Grrlash, these are my life-mate Eriara and my children Eeraar, Ak'khtar, Ferrash and Griara. Eriara, cublings, this is Grrlash Galrraanaa, the twelfth F'Linian to enter the Technoss and one of the fastest-rising officers. I believe that you have all seen the film of him?"

"I thought he was taller."

As Eriara winced at the tactlessness, Grrlash merely laughed.

"It is a common mistake, young hunter. It is not my fault that my stature has grown with the tales of my apparent death, and I hope you do not hold it against me."

Gaaraal smiled, and hugged his wife before walking across to Grrlash.

"I am only sorry that you do not have family whom we can bring to you now that the Technoss and F'Linians have an alliance."

Grrlash shrugged, and then frowned as a thought occurred to him.

"Gaaraal, are they going to return to F'Linia?"

"No. If that had been the plan, it would have been blocked, not only by the council, but by me as well. No, they will be coming to New Earth with me, where I have arranged for jobs for them to aid them in assimilating into the Technoss."

Grrlash nodded with belated understanding.

"I see, and I must give you my best wishes."

Gaaraal bowed slightly, and walked back to where his family was waiting.

.

Mariah seemed to have remained motionless during Grrlash's absence, but as Grrlash stopped beside her, she glanced at him, and returned her gaze to the planet.

"So, you met Gaaraal's family."

Grrlash twitched in shock, and looked down at her.

"Did everybody know except for me?"

"No. I only found out about it after you had already gone."

Grrlash glanced at the door and sighed.

"I feel happy for Gaaraal, but slightly confused. Is he the only one who is regaining his family?"

"No, four of the other F'Linians have also regained their mates and children, so the number of F'Linians in the Technoss has increased to almost thirty."

For several moments, both of them remained silent, staring out at the ever-changing starscape, and then Grrlash broke the silence.

"This planet, Earth, is it truly where your species evolved?"

"Indeed it is."

"And the Technoss will use it to declare their past?"

Mariah shook her head.

"No, the balance of power is still too close to call. We made plans for this day, over fifty years ago the Technoss located one of the lost colonies, a world called Neo-Tokyo, and made contact _without_ revealing our true selves.  
"The colonists still believe themselves to be the last of the Humans and are eager to reclaim Earth, no matter the price. The Technoss will use their reappearance to reduce the political power of the Zhlantans further, since if they could not destroy a pre-Hyper society, they are obviously not as strong as they claim."

Grrlash nodded.

"When will these Humans arrive?"

"They insisted on building their own ship for the journey, but we left a dozen non-human Technoss to act as technical advisors and our link to them. The ship was finished almost a month ago. We sent word about the atmosphere stabilizing three weeks ago, and they are due here in about two days."

* * *

.

A flash of light marked the emergence of the vessel into normal space and three squadrons of Technoss vessels and one F'Linian squadron coalesced around it in a protective formation. The ship ponderously turned, the plumes from its reaction thrusters combining with its rotating segments to mark it as the product of a low-tech spacegoing culture, and then reaction drives ignited, moving the ship forward at a stately acceleration of one meter per second squared. As it moved towards the planet which its crew had once believed lost forever, the vessels of the other species moved aside, knowing that the vessel was important, but not knowing why. As it approached the planet in preparation for attaining orbit, a signal was transmitted from the Solar Warrior, a signal which caused consternation through the entire assembly, especially on the Zhlantan diplomatic cruiser hovering on the outskirts of the system.

.

Grrlash and Maria stood at attention in flanking positions beside Zkryrger III and his personal quadrupedal Technoss Medtech. His age-paled skin seemed loosely draped over him as he slowly turned his hoverplatform for a better view of the landing field which marked the official landing point of the returnees.

"To think that I would ever see this day, the reclamation of a legendary planet destroyed by war and rebuilt for those who once lived there."

The centauriform medtech, studying his instruments, carefully handed a pill to Zkryrger III, who cupped it between two tentacles before swallowing it.

"How long before they land?"

"Thirty T-Minutes."

Zkryrger III twisted his tentacles in a gesture indicating nervousness and then settled down on his platform.

"Well, as the duly appointed representative of the Galactic Alliance, chosen at the request of the Technoss, I suppose we should head over to the field."

The Medtech nodded and touched a control on his gauntlet. Small engines in the hoverplatform whined as the medtech started to walk towards the crystalline building in which the official handover would take place, with the hoverplatform remaining by his side. Mariah took position aft of the platform while Grrlash moved ahead, alert for trouble even with entire platoons of Technoss soldiers and workers scattered around. As they moved past a snake-like Legionary moving a long antenna between power-points, Grrlash noted something odd about the other Technoss.

"Mariah, is it my imagination, or are you the only human in the area?"

"It is not your imagination. You and I made the news guarding Zkryrger when that Zhlantan assassin tried to kill him, so the Technoss is playing on that by assigning us both to him again. However, the Technoss is trying not to draw attention to any similarities between the humans and Technoss in shape, so all the human-Technoss assigned to rebuild Earth are currently working on the other continents."

Grrlash nodded slightly in understanding as they passed through the entrance into the main hall of the building. The silent medtech indicated that they should go to the main dias, and the platform glided up the ramp before coming to rest on a specially-designed short pillar. Mariah and Grrlash moved to escort positions just behind Zkryrger while the medtech fussed over his charge.  
A susurration indicated the first of the observers entering and Grrlash watched as they spread out to either side of the highlighted central path. As they did so, a central hologram flickered into life, showing the human vessel in orbit, and the delta-winged shuttle emerging from the forward docking bay. As it moved outwards on reaction thrusters, six Technoss fighters moved into formation around it, forming a sphere without impeding the view of its pilot. The seven craft accelerated as one towards the planet below, and just before the shuttle entered the atmosphere, the leading three Technoss craft peeled off and dropped back to follow in the wake of its passage.  
The image shook slightly as the craft providing the imagery followed the shuttle and its escorts through the cloud layer, and the assembled throng turned to watch the growing dot above the horizon which was approaching. The dot swelled rapidly and within minutes the shuttle touched down on the runway and rolled to a stop in front of the building.  
As the hatch opened, a double-line of Technoss Legionaries marched up and snapped to attention. The steps of the shuttle reached the ground, and a small man with a marked resemblence to Master Takashi and dressed in antique, stylized, unpowered armor stepped out, pausing at the top of the stairs before descending. As he stepped onto the landing field, the Legionaries saluted in the manner of Technoss. The man, acting according to the planned ceremony, strode forwards into the building and came to a halt in front of Zkryrger III. Although his eyes had widened slightly at the sight of the ancient being, his face remained inscrutable.

"On behalf of the Galactic Alliance, and with the full approval of the Technoss, I welcome you to the planet Earth, once the homeland of your ancestors. Should you accept, the planet will be placed into the keeping of you and your descendants."

The human bowed before replying in an accented version of tradespeak.

"On behalf of the Emperor whom I serve, I accept custody of the planet, and vow to serve and protect it."

Zkryrger returned the bow and from a small storage alcove in his hoverplatform removed a small crystal disc. Holding it out in trembling tentacles, he activated it and a hologram of Earth formed above it. The human accepted it with another bow, and turned to face the audience, holding up the disc so that all the assembled diplomats could see it.

"And so the humans return to their homeworld." murmured Zkryrger.

.

After the splendor of the hall of ceremony, the grey dome of the Technoss Embassy was almost an anticlimax, but a welcome one. As Grrlash and Mariah removed their helmets, a familiar figure moved to greet them.

"Welcome."

Mariah smiled at her foster-brother.

"Zkryrger III is on his way back to the Haven system via the Solar Warrior, so we thought that we'd come and see what is going on."

Titus nodded ponderously and turned to escort them further into the embassy, his wings giving the illusion of a swirling cloak. Mariah walked beside him while Grrlash followed just behind.

"We are somewhat perturbed by a transmission we intercepted from the Zhlantan ship. Translated, it says that the mission was not completed, and as such is a slur on the reputation of the war-caste. We are expecting a possible strike aimed at destroying the planet or the colony."

"Can we help?"

Titus looked at her.

"You are both trained in hostile-atmosphere duties, yes?"

At their nods, he continued.

"A team is preparing to go to the Moonbase, to see if the fleet-control complex may be viable for redevelopment. It has been abandoned for over two-thousand years, but the lack of atmosphere should have preserved it given the materials used in its construction. You two have a track record of making important discoveries, maybe you could help them."

.

The excavation machine moved backwards on its treads, revealing the airlock doors at the end of the sloping ditch. As it moved out of the way, Grrlash and Mariah stepped into the ditch, drifting slowly down in the lunar gravity. Behind them, a dozen Technoss scientists and archivists followed their example. Mariah reached out and experimentally pressed the button that should have opened the airlock. When no action resulted, she shrugged and moved aside to let Grrlash have a go. Flexing his fingers, Grrlash activated his gauntlet-claws and used them to slice a neat ovoid out of the door, lifting it out and placing it to one side. Mariah shone a light into the dark room, and Grrlash carefully maneuvered through the gap.

"Lights."

At his command, a roll of lighting-rope was passed through. With the illumination provided, Grrlash checked the inner door, and experimentally tried to lever it open. It slid open with virtually no resistance and Grrlash stepped through.

"We're in."

"Copy, Grrlash. According to the plans, central control should be to the left, then third right. You and Mariah check it out, the others can go and check the life-support areas and power core. The final techs can install a new airlock unit."

Mariah drifted past Grrlash, using her helmet-light to look around.

"This is amazing, the last structure built prior to the evacuation of Earth! It's over two thousand years old!"

Grrlash followed, glancing round at the almost-familiar architecture.

"Here we are."

Mariah moved aside as Grrlash stepped forwards. Once again he used his strength to lever open the door, and froze at the sight of a cylinder occupying the center of the chamber, a cylinder marked with the legend "Cryo-unit".

"Move out of the way, Grrlash, let me…"

Mariah's voice faded as she saw the central unit. Grrlash moved forwards and looked at it closely. The window of the unit was clouded over, and Grrlash triggered a scan-pulse to try to penetrate the outer layer. The result shook him, and he stepped backwards.

"Mariah, I think I am going mad. Scan the cylinder, see if it is what I think it is."

Mariah moved forwards and triggered her own scan pulse. A Grrlash watched, her face paled in shock, and she fumbled for her comm.

"Control, this is Mariah. I think we may have a survivor here."

"A survivor? What are you talking about?"

"Control, this is Grrlash. We have located a cryo-chamber of a design I do not recognize and it is occupied. Although it has no power, the internal temperature is such that the occupant is effectively encased in solid hydrogen. We need a medteam as soon as possible, tell everyone else to get out _now_. I don't understand how the occupant has remained intact all this time, but I will not risk any vibrations that may damage him or her. Until the team arrives _on grav-lifters_ , Mariah and myself are locking our armor to prevent any more possible damage."

"Holy Terra! Um, message understood, scrambling the team now!"

* * *

.

Grrlash looked down through the viewport as the medical team clustered around the frozen body and then glanced up as another figure joined him.

"You certainly know how to cause a stir, don't you."

Grrlash stared at the focus of the effort in the med-bay.

"I find it hard to believe that you have the ability to reverse cryo-stasis, although given how you managed to heal _me_ , I should not be."

Jaxon nodded slowly.

"You are taking this more calmly than I am, Grrlash. You should know that we found another five cryo-tubes in the lower areas of the base, and they were all occupied, although two were unfortunately non-functional. Once we have revived this man, we will revive the other survivors."

"Who is he?"

Jaxon looked at him in shock, and then understanding dawned.

"His name is Charley MacDourn, The Last Guardian. He was one of the eighteen who volunteered for what was effectively a suicide mission, to hide on the moon, recording the final battle and using a series of probes to transmit the data when the Zhlantans had departed, and one of the six who remained behind when their escape ship was destroyed by wreckage. According to legend, they were given "sleeping tubes" for when their job was completed, but we thought that it had meant suicide pills or something similar."

Grrlash looked down just as a sudden burst of activity erupted. One of the med-techs stepped back, and turned to wave triumphantly at the assembled watchers.

"Holy Terra, they've revived him!"

Grrlash nodded.

"It would seem that the Technoss can pull off many medical miracles."

.

Grrlash watched as Charley suddenly woke in the tube, and tried to look round. Bending down, he plunged his paw into the liquid and a second later felt a human hand curl around it. Straightening up, he pulled Charley out of the recovery-tube and set him onto the lift-platform before pulling off his breathing-mask and wrapping a med-robe around him. Charley looked around disoriented as the lift descended, and then Grrlash guided the human to a bench, and helped him to sit down before handing him a mug of replicated hot chocolate.

"Here, drink this. You have been dead to the universe for a long time, you need the warmth."

Charley sipped the beverage, and then blinked furiously, trying to focus. As his eyes started to obey the mental commands, he glanced at Grrlash, and froze.

"My name is Grrlash Galrraanaa of the Technoss, formerly of the planet F'Linia. I was one of the two who found you and summoned help."

"My friends..."

Grrlash sighed.

"Three of them survived. Jackson Duke, Richard Joat and Helena Starborn, they are still recovering. The other two were beyond saving, the cryo-tube of one had fragmented, the second cryo-tube had failed to deploy properly. I am sorry."

Charley was still staring at Grrlash when the door opened and Mariah ran in.

"Grrlash, I was right! I am related to Helena, her younger brother was my father's ancestor! Isn't that incredib… Ohmygod, he's awake! Umm, hello?"

Charley turned to stare at her bemusedly, and blinked in shock.

"You're related to Helena? How is she?"

"Still in recovery, but the medics say that she should be ready for decanting in another day or so. As I was one of the two who discovered you, I'll be there to help decant her and help her adjust. Grrlash is assigned to you for now."

Charley transferred his gaze back to Grrlash, who responded by smiling without exposing his fangs.

"I am sure that you are hungry, Charley, so I'll escort you to your quarters and answer your questions as best as I can."

As Grrlash helped Charley to stand up and guided him to the door, he continued to speak.

"My species is F'Linian, but I am part of what is known as the Technoss. There are only twenty-eight F'Linians currently in the Technoss, so we are only a small portion. The largest portion of the Technoss is comprised of humans, who managed to flee the Earth and find viable planets to colonize. They developed inter-steller communication and enhanced technology and started to expand into the areas of the galaxy that they knew the Zhlantans had not reached. During their expansion, they met and formed alliances with many other races, and adopted the name of Technoss to hide any link that would lead the Zhlantans to realize that they had failed in their mission, even to the extent of developing powered armour to hide their past. The Technoss eventually made contact with the Galactic Alliance and through them encountered the Zhlantans again, discovering that the Zhlantans were stronger than anticipated. Now, we are continuing to build our forces ready for the final confrontation. Here we are, your quarters."

Charley looked round at the suite and the open doors leading into the other rooms. Grrlash pointed to the table.

"What do you want to eat?"

"Burger? Rare?"

Grrlash pressed the button on the food synthesizer console.

"One burger in a bun, rare, salad and relish, side of fries, cool drink and one Grazer-meat and vegetable stew, with extra Karralan-spice."

A shelf extended from the machine with a tray containing the items and Grrlash carried it over to the table. Placing the tray on the table, he passed the cutlery and requested food to Charley while keeping the stew for himself. Charley ignored the cutlery and simply picked up the burger and took a large bite out of it, chewing it with an expression of pleasure on his face. Grrlash grinned and picked up his bowl to drink the stew. When he put it down, Charley was looking at him.

"Do you normally eat that fast?"

"Why waste time?"

Charley grinned, then sobered.

"How long was I in cold-sleep?"

Grrlash gave him a long look.

"We are not entirely certain, but based on our records and data we found in the moonbase, over two thousand years."

Charley blinked, and then jerked in shock.

"Two _thousand_ years?!"

Grrlash nodded with a grim smile.

"Welcome to the future."

Charley blinked, and then frowned as a thought occurred to him.

"Your friend said that she was one of the two who found me, and as such was assigned to Helena. Are you the other who found me?"

"Indeed I am, and it came as a considerable shock to do so. Of all the things I had expected to find, a two-thousand-year old man was not one of them."

"I feel like Buck Rogers."

Grrlash raised his eyebrow quizzically, and Charley grinned.

"Old story from my time about a spaceman who was frozen in space and was revived five hundred years later."

Grrlash frowned.

"How did he cope?"

Charley shrugged.

"He defended the Earth and fell in love, although he suffered from severe culture-shock. Sounds somewhat familiar, doesn't it?"

.

The door opened and Helena stepped through, leaning against Mariah for support. Charley rose and stepped forwards, a faint smile crossing his craggy features. Helena looked at him, and a tremulous smile twitched on her lips.

"I'm ready, Dour."

"So I see, Helena."

Grrlash stood back as the two of them embraced, and then Charley turned to face Grrlash and Mariah.

"I think that we are ready to meet this council of yours now."

Helena nodded, and then looked at them with a smile.

"Out of interest, how long have the two of you been married?"

Grrlash's jaw dropped and Mariah stifled a laugh, turning an interesting colour as she tried to restrain herself.

"Umm, we are not married. Why did you think we are?"

Helena blushed slightly.

"Sorry, it's just that the two of you seem to act as though you are fully aware of what the other is doing, as if you are almost telepathically linked. That and the way you look at each other made me think you were married."

Charley smiled and pulled Helena back to his side.

"I think that we ought to see the council before you dig yourself any deeper into the hole. Come on, let's go join Richard and Jackson."

* * *

.

As the shuttle moved through the atmospheric field to begin its descent towards the Earth, Mariah leaned against Grrlash and wiped away her tears.

"It was their choice, Mariah."

Mariah nodded.

"I know, he and Helena have had their memories of this place erased, and are being taken to Earth to help to rebuild it, along with both the others. Dammit, Grrlash! They're legends, and now they're alive, _we_ cannot even contact them again!"

Grrlash nodded.

"I know. I also made a choice, remember? I know what he was thinking, but he has someone to go with, whereas I had no-one."

"And now?"

Grrlash looked down at her.

"I have you, beloved. Without you, I do not know what I would do."

Mariah wiped away her tears and looked up at him.

"Do you really mean that?"

"I would not lie to you."

Mariah rose from the bench and turned, pulling at his arm until he also stood. Before he could ask what she was doing,she embraced him fiercely, burying her face against his chest and he responded by putting his arms around her.

"Grrlash, I think you should know that I've been in love with you since before you joined us."

Grrlash blinked, and smiled.

"Beloved, I have been in love with you from the day you helped me to join."

Mariah reached up, pulled Grrlash's head down and kissed him. As they separated, a throat cleared behind them. Mariah spun round and Grrlash looked up to meet the knowing gaze of Jaxon. Mariah blushed and Grrlash felt his fur ripple in embarrasment, but Jaxon only smiled broader,

"If this is what it looks like, please invite me to the wedding."

Mariah's blush deepened and Grrlash's ears flicked to indicate amusement.

"Council-leader Jaxon Light, I believe that the captain of this vessel is on board, and there is one relevant tradition from the days of Old Earth which is still in use, yes?"

Mariah looked up at him with joy on her face and Grrlash looked down at her.

"Beloved, on my homeworld it is the females who choose their mates…"

Jaxon grinned as Mariah turned to face Grrlash.

"Grrlash, if you are willing, will you marry me?"

"I will, beloved."

Mariah and Grrlash kissed, and Jaxon spoke as he moved towards the door.

"I'll get the Admiral. According to tradition, she can perform the service aboard this ship"

Neither Grrlash or Mariah noticed his exit.


	7. Battle

_Technoss Warships :- The Technoss have a surprisingly large number of warships, far more than can theoretically be sustained by the known volume of Technoss Hivespace. The ships are, without exception, far more deadly than their size suggests, for instance, the largest delta-shaped Technoss warship packs as much offensive power as a Galactic Alliance warship almost twice its size, while its shields are even stronger.  
The speed of the Technoss warships are also amazingly high, with acceleration of 15 sub-klecks per second per second noted in turning maneuvers, outmaneuvering everything except starfighters. As a result, many commanders assume than a numerical superiority of three-to-one is required in order to even hope for a draw against Technoss vessels of equal individual tonnage. The records from past battles indicate, however, that a five-to-one ratio is more realistic._

_It is important to note that the only naval ships which can equal those of the Technoss are the warships of the F'Linian Empire, ships created with the infusion of Technoss technology. F'Linian warships are to all intents and purposes external reinforcements for the Technoss fleet due to the depth of the links between the Technoss and the F'Linians. The military link between the Technoss and the F'Linians was proven beyond doubt during the events known as_ The Return _._

\- Extract from the Galactic Encyclopaedia

* * *

.

Grrlash lifted his mug of hot chocolate and inhaled the aroma. Since the time that he had been recruited, he had both a taste and an affection for the drink, the same one that Mariah Starborn had pressed into his hands after he had fought his way clear of the healing-tank. He looked up, reveling in the familiarity of his surroundings after ten years scouting and fighting alongside Mariah in many of the previously-unexplored regions of the Galaxy.

"I thought that today's hearing went well, considering."

Titus, standing at the open window, nodded slowly.

"Yes. I will miss seeing Ambassador Hwarr in his customary place, but his son is shaping up to be a fine diplomat."

Grrlash nodded slowly and Mariah looked over at him.

"Out of interest, oh husband of mine, what exactly is _Jhgruugh Hrrlraataa_? I've never heard you speak of it before."

Grrlash frowned, trying to translate it into Trade-talk.

"We F'Linians do not speak of it much to outsiders, so I would prefer it if you did not allow what I am about to tell you to go outside this room."

Both Mariah and Titus nodded solemnly.

"As you both know, the physiology of we F'Linians are exceedingly robust, our skeletons are semi-metallic, our muscles are denser. However, Ambassador Hwarr, sorry, _ex_ -ambassador Hwarr, preferred paper-work to combat. This meant that his musculature was not as well developed as an average F'Linian male. In addition, he eats a bit too much, and a bit too richly, so he developed quite a bit of a paunch.  
"Those two facts mean that when he laughs too much, he puts some strain on certain back muscles. The sight of an entire Zhlantan delegation slipping over on the ice and unable to get back up caused him to laugh too much. He essentially sprained half the muscles in his back and kinked his spinal cord, effectively paralyzing himself."

Titus' wings clamped tightly against his sides while Mariah started to turn several intriguing shades of red, her shoulders shaking.

"Let me see if I understand this." said Titus slowly. "Hwarr _laughed_ himself into paralysis?"

Grrlash nodded and continued.

"In the old days, to die laughing was not uncommon."

Mariah started to choke.

"Fortunately, there is a treatment center on F'Linia Prime that specializes in laughter-related injuries. Their motto is 'Laughter is _not_ the best medicine'."

Mariah collapsed onto the floor, crying with laughter. Titus blinked several times, then slowly settled down onto the floor and lowered his head. Grrlash continued.

"In the old days, several warlords were known to kill their enemies by overfeeding them for a month, then making them attend a special comedy-show. Unfortunately, the warlords tended to be slightly overweight as well, with predictable consequences."

Mariah waved her hands frantically as she gasped for breath. Titus, had retreated to beneath his wings, forming a mound from which the occasional chortle escaped. Grrlash managed not to smile.

"For what is now known as the _sad era_ , the third King of F'Linia, Jraar the Boring, outlawed the telling of jokes, putting over ten thousand F'Linians out of work. Apparently he died when an army of these comedians managed to infiltrate a crowd at one of his processions and proceeded to stage a selection of pratfalls, pie-fights, comedy-stunts and verbal misunderstandings.  
"The coup-de-grace was, however, a variation on what you call the 'Fireman Rescue', with incompetent firemen trying to rescue a maiden from a smoking building, and ending up with _her_ saving _them_. The King, and six of his closest advisors, succumbed, and his daughter repealed the oppressive laws. The term _Jrhgruugh Hrrlraataa_ is an anagram of the names of the king and the two ringleaders, and coincidentally is generally translated as 'To be hurt by excessive laughter'."

Grrlash leaned back in his chair and waited until both Mariah and Titus had regained their breath, and their composure. As Titus straightened up, his com-badge bleeped, and he once again vanished under his wings. A moment later his wings twitched and compressed. Mariah gasped.

"He's just received some very bad news!"

Grrlash quickly drained his mug and stood up, grabbing his helmet from the side-table. A moment later Titus unfolded his wings and rose.

"Mariah, Grrlash, Technoss has been betrayed by the Non-isolationists and is under attack. Grrlash, Headquarters need you to call in an old favor for us."

.

"May I join you?" asked Grrlash. The occupant of the table looked up at him and nodded, not suspecting anything.

"My name is Gryyal." lied Grrlash smoothly, "I am honored to meet the F'Linian who has been inside the Technoss Embassy."

Hrwrl smiled slightly, his eyes tightening slightly in suspicion.

"Thank you."

"And my condolences on the retirement of your Father."

Hrwrl nodded again, his eyes slightly sad.

"Yes. He served as Ambassador for nine years, now I have to take his place, and I do not believe that I am ready."

"Then that is a sign that you are. If you had believed yourself to be ready, you would not be. It is what must be, the wheel turns."

Hrwrl managed not to tense at the Technoss code-phrase.

"Yes, the wheel turns, and all is one."

Grrlash nodded in recognition of the counter-code phrase and absently stroked his brown-dyed mane.

"I have a message for you, if you wish to hear it."

Hrwrl reached out and pressed the privacy button, initiating the cone of distortion round the table.

"We are secure."

Grrlash nodded again, and pulled a small data-disk from the inner pocket of his wrap-around tunic.

"The Zhlantans have unleashed a full-scale attack against the Technoss, and the Technoss are having difficulty holding their own. It seems that the Zhlantans have been busy increasing their fleet and supply bases in secret, in preparation for this day. The Technoss have already lost thirty-one systems to the onslaught. Seventeen years ago your Queen made a promise, are you prepared to honor it?"

"Yes, of course. As soon as I get back to my quarters, I'll call Homeworld and get them to scramble the First, Second and Third Fleets to aid you. The Fourth and Fifth will be assigned to reinforce our border, but I'll try to get them to act as a distraction."

"Good. Now listen very carefully. The attack has proven that the Zhlantans have pierced the cloak of Technoss, so therefore Technoss will be giving you more information than ever granted before to any non-Technoss agent. Your ships will be required to meet outside the Technoss Moon-base airlocks, and will enter the Embassy for final briefing and course information. This data-disc contains the path and required transmission codes."

Grrlash noted with amusement the shocked expression on Hrwrl's face.

"Furthermore, the fleet will rendezvous with a ship commanded by someone you may have heard of, Commodore Grrlash Galrraanaa. He will be in charge of the combined fleets, and you or your designated representative will join him on his ship. Once you have called the fleets, if you are coming, get to the Technoss Embassy as fast as you can. They will provide transport."

Hrwrl nodded, his eyes partially glazed as Grrlash de-activated the privacy cone and stood up.

"Thank-you for your time."

Hrwrl nodded again, then also stood up.

"It has been very interesting meeting you." he said for the benefit of any observers. "If you will excuse me, I must return to the Embassy."

Grrlash nodded and strode out of the restaurant. Behind him, Hrwrl headed for a different exit, his pace only a fraction below a run. Glancing round, Grrlash ducked through a small, semi-concealed door, and came face-to-helmet with Mariah.

"Done. Let's go."

* * *

.

"Ambassador requesting admittance to the Bridge." said the officer. "Orders?"

Grrlash looked at the blue-skinned humanoid.

"Escort the Ambassador to the OverBridge."

Grrlash returned his gaze to the panorama displayed on the seven screens arrayed around him, then glanced down at the free-standing sensor console mounted in front of his seat. On the glowing screen, the multi-layer formation of the F'Linian fleets resembled three swords arrayed round the mass of the Destroyer-class Battle-cruiser under his command. Glancing across, he intercepted Mariah's gaze.

"After all these years, the Technoss are finally unveiled."

Mariah nodded soberly.

"Yes, damn. If I get my hands on those damn renegades who spilled the secret..."

Grrlash grinned briefly, then turned as the lift-doors to the Bridge hissed open, disgorging Ambassador Hrwrl.

"Greetings Ambassador. Please, be seated." Grrlash said, indicating the seat to his left. Hrwrl bowed deeply, then strode round the multiple fleet-control consoles and took the offered seat, his eyes fixed on Grrlash's helmet.

"Greetings, I come as promised. Are you Grrlash Galrraanaa?"

Grrlash reached up and de-opaqued his helmet. The others on the OverBridge did the same.

"I am. I was saved by Technoss and trained by them. We have already met twice, although you did not know it was me on either occasion. May I introduce my tactical advisor and Life-mate, Commodore Mariah Galrraanaa-Starborn."

Hrwrl transferred his gaze, then blinked in amazement at the sight of a species he had believed to be only found on two relatively primitive planets.

"Ummm, Honored to meet you. Commodore Galrraanaa, the Three Fleets are yours to command."

Grrlash settled himself into his command-chair.

"This is Grrlash of the Black Lion to Base, we are ready. Where are we needed?"

"Base to Black Lion, you are going to Sector seven-five-nine, exiting through the Solar Defender. The Zhlantans have penetrated the Mercury Fleet and are on their way to New London. You must hold them for at least two hours to allow us to make a counter-strike. Transmitting route data now. Portal is opening, good luck."

Ahead of them, the massive ship-locks on the moonbase finished opening, revealing the Portal in the process of powering up. A moment later, the energy cleared, revealing a starfield that was obviously not the one on the other side of the moon.

"This is Commodore Grrlash of Technoss to all F'Linian vessels. Close up formation behind us and follow us through the Portal. Captain, go."

The Captain, a short gold-skinned human woman with almost cat-like eyes nodded on the comm-screen and turned to give the relevant orders. Grrlash pressed an innocuous button on his seat and several holo-displays surrounded them while a large console rose into position in front of each primary seat.

"We have cleared the Ship-locks, are entering Portal. We have cleared Portal and are in the correct sector. Solar Defender is acknowledging transit, and is powering down its Portal."

Grrlash nodded and hit the broadband comm button.

"Fleet One, Starbust-three formation, we're the lead. Fleet two, split into three elements and take standard escort formations. Fleet three, spread out and start scanning the Iota-Tachyon fields. The Zhlantans are coming this way, and we have to stop them. Deploy Gravity-mines, activate when we have confirmation."

On the screen, the icons depicting the other ships shifted into the required patterns.

"Now what?" asked Hrwrl.

"We wait." replied Mariah.

Only Grrlash paid any attention to the Solar Defender vanishing into HyperLight behind them.

.

"Zhlantan force detected at range, E.T.A. one standard time-unit, activating Gravity-mines. Going to Combat Alert"

Grrlash sat up and turned his attention to the Holo-displays, allowing the Captain to prepare the Black Lion for combat.

"All ships, this is Grrlash. We have sensor confirmation. You have the plan, get into your positions."

Hrwrl barreled in through the doors, almost ripping them out of their tracks, and hurled himself into the third seat.

"I heard. I came."

Grrlash nodded, examining the holo-display that was focused on the First Fleet formation.

"Warclaw, tighten it up, you're a full shiplength out. Starblade, get back in line, you're part of a team, act like it."

Mariah activated her console and started to give orders to the other two Fleets, getting them into position. Hrwrl looked at them, then activated his console.

"I'm here to help, give me Third Fleet, I know where they should be."

Mariah nodded and Hrwrl also started to give orders.

.

The Zhlantan Fleet dropped out of Hyperlight, arrayed in a near-perfect defensive formation. It was not perfect enough, the Hyper-Light drift had opened up several small gaps, and instantly those gaps were exploited.

"All craft, fire. Space-fighters break and flank them, keep their shields from being put at full-front. Claw and Blade-class ships, move in on assigned vectors six, nine and fifteen. All other ships, fire secondaries at will, concentrate primary weapons on co-ordinates seven-mark one and three-fifty-mark four."

Several Zhlantan ships vanished from the Holo-display as the F'Linian vessels fired at their targets, then the Zhlantans managed to regroup and return fire. The Black Lion shuddered and several F'Linian vessels broke off and dropped back, trying to recover their shielding.

"All front-line ships, break by groups and attack, fight-and-fade style. Don't go head-to-head, just peel them like a Jhaala-fruit. Unit seven, break port, take out that damaged vessel. Unit six, go evasive, they're trying to englobe you. Units twelve and fourteen, cover six."

Hrwrl stared at the Holo-display, watching the icons swirl and dance, then at Grrlash, who was frowning in concentration.

"Damn, Unit fifteen, climb and loop back, cover unit twenty-three. Can anyone see their Command Ship? They've disguised it somehow!"

Hrwrl glanced down at his console, and then carefully accessed the scan-data.

"Got it!" shouted Mariah. "Target sixty-two."

"No!" said Hrwrl. "That's a decoy. Number forty-three is the real one, check the tight-beam readings."

Mariah paused for a moment.

"You're right! I missed that, they've gotten sneakier. Grrlash!"

"Got it." barked Grrlash. "Units twenty three, two, nine and sixteen, take out the forward layer on vector zero-zero mark negative three. Captain, prepare the Primary Beam, target enemy ship forty-three, fire on my mark."

"There's too many ships between us and it, they will act as shields, the Beam will only damage it."

"Trust me. Unit two, evasive, come about! Seventeen, hit them from the side. Six, retreat, you're hit too bad. Get behind us and sub the damaged ships for the repaired ones. Good work, nine, now break off. Two and sixteen, go port, cause some damage. Twenty-three, spiral out now! Captain, fire in six, five, four, three, two, one, FIRE!"

The entire bridge darkened slightly as all eight of the half-mile long generators poured ninety-seven percent of their power into the Primary Beam. The ship rumbled as the power built up, then the forward screens went dark as the Beam leapt across the two-thousand mile gap between the Black Lion and the Zhlantans and drilled straight to the center of the Zhlantan formation, vaporizing or severely mauling over two-dozen ships of various classes.

"Target Forty-three destroyed."

On the display, the Zhlantans started to break formation, splitting into smaller groups that attempted to dodge in different directions.

"Captain, Once our power reserves have been restored, flank speed straight ahead, all weapons to fire on targets of opportunity. Units fourteen through twenty-five, englobe the battlefield and take out any would-be escapees. All others, pursue and destroy!"

"Reinforcements arriving!"

"Ours or theirs?"

"Ours!"

Grrlash relaxed slightly as the lights resumed their original level of illumination.

"Lets finish mopping up, and repair the Primary Beam."

* * *

.

"I still have trouble believing this." said Hrwrl, looking up from his plate and glancing out through the viewport at the tachyon swirl of HyperLight. "I saw the data-file that showed your final combat, I've seen the film about you, and they agreed that you died but your body was never found. Now I know why."

Mariah glanced mischievously at Grrlash before turning to Hrwrl.

"We know, we've seen it. I liked it a great deal."

Grrlash's fur rippled in embarrassment.

"How did you get here? The data-file proved that you could not have survived, not with that injury."

"The Technoss have the technology and expertise to rebuild almost any part of the body perfectly, including the hindbrain. Once I was healed, I was given a choice of joining Technoss, or having my memory of being on the Solar Warrior removed, and returning to F'Linia. I chose to join, and Mariah volunteered to be my mentor during my training and first few years."

"I think I understand, but why did you decide to marry?"

Mariah blushed and Grrlash grinned at the younger F'Linian.

"Mariah and I were assigned to aid in the rebuilding of Earth, and were the ones who discovered the last of the Guardians. Although all but one of the Guardians chose to return to aid Old Earth directly, they made some very accurate comments about how we worked well together, and we decided to expand on that."

Hrwrl's eyes widened as he realized the subtext of the statement, and his fur rippled in embarrassment. Mariah grinned wickedly.

"We proved very compatible."

Hrwrl looked at her carefully.

"How compatible?"

"A daughter and two sons." replied Mariah. "It seems that our DNA's can merge very efficiently, albeit with a _slight_ nudge from the medics." Reaching into her hip pocket, she produced a holoprojector which she placed on the table and activated.

"In order of age, Tigrana, eight years old, Lyon, seven and Puma, five. All in perfect health, and currently with my mother."

Hrwrl looked closely at the image, then leaned backwards, the angle of his ears displaying considerable surprise.

"They _are_ F'Linian!"

"Yes, and Human. Some would call them Hybrids, but Grrlash and I just say that they're special."

Hrwrl nodded.

"I see. Grrlash, you are truly fortunate to have a new family. I think that the film's ending needs re-shooting."

Grrlash laughed. "Yes, probably."

"Incoming communication."

Grrlash growled at the intercom, then spoke up.

"Pipe it down here, main screen."

The main starfield dissolved into the Technoss emblem, then reformed to show the face of Gaaraal Haarraakka. Hrwrl gasped in shocked recognition.

"This is Council-Member Gaaraal Haarraakka to all Technoss craft within two hours HyperLight of Old Earth. The Zhlantans have blockaded the planet, and have already attempted to unleash several bioagents into the atmosphere. Only our energy-shield saved us, but it is losing its cohesion under the Zhlantan bombardment. The Moonbase Portal has been destroyed, and the Solar Defender has been effectively disabled, possessing only two working powerplants and minimal shields. If you cannot get here within two hours, do not bother coming! Message repeats."

As the message continued, Grrlash leapt over the table and hit the intercom button with a clenched fist.

"Bridge, get us to Old Earth as fast as possible, use the shortest available route, irrespective of the risk-factor, take us through the Caralean Nebulae if you have to, this is an Omega-Red emergency!"

"Acknowledged."

Mariah carefully placed her knife and fork on the plate in front of her and stood up, turning to face her husband.

"Let's get to the OverBridge."

.

The tachyon blur of HyperLight faded and dissolved into a starfield surrounding a planet, which glittered with energy-fire and explosions delineating the obviously-straining planetary defense shields.

"Old Earth Technoss Command, this is Commodore Grrlash Galrraanaa, leading the three F'Linian Fleets, we need a sitrep!"

The screen flickered into life, forming a static-streaked image of Gaaraal.

"Grrlash, no battle-plan, just take them out!"

"Acknowledged. This is Commodore Galrraanaa to the three fleets. Split into tactical units, attack speed. Strafe and slice, but don't try to go head-to-head, they pack heavier weapons and shields. Use your speed and peel them. Captain, attack speed, we're the battering ram."

The engines of the Black Lion growled into overdrive and the planet appeared to expand, the sparks turning into distant ships. As they approached, several larger sparks indicated the demise of several vessels, both defending and attacking.

"More had better get here soon." growled Grrlash as they approached the battle. "We don't currently stand a chance."

"Agreed." said Mariah as she accessed her tactical console. "They outnumber us over a thousand to one, not counting the spacefighters."

Grrlash leaned back and activated his personal holo-display, allowing himself to become immersed in the virtual sea of red dots that indicated the Zhlantan forces, and the blue and green dots that indicated the heavily-outnumbered but defiant Technoss forces.

"Fleet one, after the first command, you're under my command. Fleet two, you're under Commodore Mariah Starborn-Galrraanaa, Fleet three, you're under Ambassador Hrwrl. All units, fire and break on my mark, MARK!"

A veritable storm of laser-fire and missiles lashed out at the invasion fleet before the incoming warriors split and went evasive. Grrlash snapped out commands, absently listening to Mariah and Hrwrl doing the same for the other two fleets.

"Unit six, come about, hit that carrier again. Unit nine, they're on your tail, pull up. Eleven, swoop and clear their aft. Unit seventeen, respond! What happened to unit seventeen?"

_"This is Captain Grraak of sixteen, they're gone, they went after a pair of carriers, and failed to see the Zhlantan dreadnoughts in flanking positions."_

_"This is Ashraar of seventeen, we're okay, we're strafing the carriers, those were our mines you saw exploding, took out the dreadnaughts."_

"Excellent. Unit two, break port on my mark. Units eleven and fourteen, go full throttle on vector zero-seven-two mark four. Unit two, Mark! Units eleven and fourteen, target enemy ship to port and fire!"

In the holo-display, the swarm of lights showing the Carrier and its protecting craft shifted formation to follow the path of unit two. An instant later, the weapons of units eleven and fourteen raked it from stern to bow, transforming it into an expanding cloud of ionized plasma.

"Fleet three down to fifty percent hitpower!" shouted Hrwrl.

"Units nineteen through twenty-four, slash upwards towards the North-Polar region, distract the Zhlantans and let the Third Fleet regain the offensive. Unit twelve, there's a damaged Zhlantan ship trying to escape just port of you, take it out!"

"Solar Defender is powering up its Portal!"

Grrlash hit several controls to access the relevant data, and gasped.

"They've rerouted everything bar basic Life Support to the Portal! They are totally defenseless! No, it worked, reinforcements!"

As a near-solid bar of ships flooded through the portal, the Comm crackled, and the main screen lit up with the image of the Black-skinned Technoss Council-member.

"This is Leader Jaxon Light to all Technoss vessels currently defending Old Earth, pull out and regroup, the Cavalry has arrived! Graviton ships, engage Gravity Net protocol!"

The sudden appearance of the thousands of Technoss ships caused a sudden reversal in the battle, and several hundred Zhlantan ships made the fatal error of trying to engage their HyperLight drives. Large explosions marked the inevitable effect of the intersection of a HyperLight Tachyon-field and a Graviton web. Within an hour, it was all over.

* * *

.

Once again, Grrlash stood in the presence of the council, but this time he was not alone. Over a dozen other Commodores and newly promoted Admirals stood in formation with him, as well as an approved delegation from F'Linia. Grrlash applauded along with the others as the penultimate Commodore resumed his position, his newest medal glistening with monomolecular silver.

"And finally we have the Order of Bravery, First class to award to Commodore Grrlash Galrraanaa." intoned Council-Leader Jaxon. "Step forward."

Grrlash strode forwards, halted at the required distance and saluted smartly. Jaxon reached for the medal on its presentation tray, then stopped and turned to face him and the audience.

"In addition to his bravery in defending Old Earth, Commodore Galrraanaa managed to arrive within forty minutes of the message, even though he was over three hours away by safe paths. For his acceptance of risk, and ability to command his forces with a higher success ratio than previously recorded in Technoss History since the Fall of Old Earth, Grrlash Galrraanaa is hereby promoted to Admiral, Constellation-level!"

As Grrlash tried to contain his shock at his sudden elevation to the third rank of Admiralty, Jaxon solemnly presented Grrlash with his promotion-chip and saluted. Grrlash managed to salute back and return to his place, holding the promotion-chip tightly in his hand.

"And finally, one more piece of business. The Zhlantans are no longer a true threat, we have discovered from the few survivors that they had devoted over ninety-five percent of their fleet to the attack on Old Earth, and now they are retreating and reinforcing their defences. This means that we of Technoss can expand once again, without need to conceal our true selves, and this time contain the Zhlantans, ensuring that they will never again try to destroy another civilization.  
"However, one border in particular requires no reinforcement on our part. The F'Linian Empire has asked to permanently ally with the Technoss, prior to a possible application of membership. and we have accepted. They have also asked for us to site an orbital shipyard at F'Linia, a shipyard to show that the F'Linians have joined the Technoss. We have agreed on the condition that we choose the leader of the base and the Technoss defense forces assigned to it.  
"Admiral Grrlash Galrraanaa, the base is currently in orbit round F'Linia, and awaits your presence. Congratulations."

The applause was spontaneous, and louder than Grrlash had ever heard before. A moment later, he was engulfed in a tidal wave of well-wishers and people trying to congratulate him. Looking round, he spotted Mariah, who grinned at him and gave him a thumbs-up sign.

"Admiral Grrlash Galrraanaa, once the celebration is over, the Black Lion is waiting to escort you, System-level Admiral Mariah Starborn-Galrraanaa and your family to F'Linia Spacebase, where you will assume command of the spacebase and act as our newest advisors to the F'Linian Sector."

Grrlash glanced up at Mariah, who had gone pale with shock at her sudden, unanticipated promotion.

"And now," boomed Jaxon, "Let the party begin!"

.

Grrlash looked across the crowded hall and froze as he saw a familiar face. Mariah looked up at him in confusion as, ignoring the dancing crowds, he moved towards his target as if drawn by a tractor beam, Mariah following in his wake. Reaching his targets, Grrlash stopped and bowed.

"Charlie MacDourn, Helena Starborn, I had not expected to see you here, although I had heard that Old Earth was sending a couple of representatives."

The two humans stared at him and then Charlie stood up.

"Do I _know_ you, sir?"

"You did, but not any more. Mariah Starborn-Galrraanaa and I were on the team which discovered you asleep on the Moon. I witnessed your resuscitation and guarded you while you recovered. You have no memory of that time, but I still wish to thank you and Helena. It was the meeting with you which led to Mariah and myself marrying."

Helena rose from her seat and looked at Mariah.

"Starborn?"

"Yes. You're my many-times Great Aunt. It's good to see you again, though I'm sure you don't remember me."

Helena shook her head and smiled.

"I think I do, a bit. Ever since I awoke on Earth, I remember having dreams of a woman like me and a giant cat, but I could not work out why I was having them. Now I think I know. After this party ends, let's get together. I think that I'd like to get to know my niece again."

.

* * *

.

* * *

.

**Twelve years later**

Sector-Level Admiral Grrlash Galrraanaa, Full Star-belt holder and commander of the F'Linian Sector Defence Force, one of the most prestigious sections of the Technoss Fleet, looked out of the viewport of his quarters, up at F'Linia and the sparkles that showed the high volume of tradeships going to and from it. The lines included Technoss vessels with their crews now no longer needing the armour which had been their shield for over a score of centuries, although most had chosen to retain it due to its status as a venerable tradition. Hearing familiar footsteps behind him, he was unsurprised when Mariah appeared at his side and leaned against him. He absently wrapped one hand round her waist as she leaned her head on his shoulder, and swept back his silvering mane with his other hand.

"Did you hear that the Upper Council of F'Linia has elected its newest council member?" he asked her, thinking back to the transmission that he had received from President Hrwrl just an hour ago.

"No, anyone we know?" she asked lazily, smiling up at him.

"Indeed," he said, a glint of humor appearing in his eyes. "The newest, and incidentally youngest ever Council-member goes by the name of..."

Mariah turned to face him.

"Goes by the name of?" she prompted.

He looked at her.

"Come on, who's the newest Council member?"

"I'm not sure I remember, although it is someone we know..."

"Grrlash, don't make me hurt you, who is it?"

"Tigrana. She was astonished to be elected, she didn't even know she had been nominated."

Mariah's face blanked for a moment, and her jaw dropped slightly.

" President Hrwrl told me himself."

"Our Tigrana..."

Grrlash scooped Mariah up and turned away from the viewport.

"Yes, our Tigrana, now Councillor Tigrana Starborn. Let's go planetside and congratulate her, shall we?"

"No," said Mariah, "First of all, I'm going to get you back for making me wait for the news!"

Grrlash looked into her eyes, seeing a familiar glint. With a smile, he threw her into the air and effortlessly caught her. An instant later, Mariah had squirmed free and was pushing him backwards.

"Didn't Hrwrl invite us to tea tonight?"

"Yes, in about three hours."

Mariah smiled as she pulled his head down.

"Plenty of time..."


	8. Technoss Datafiles

**Overview of the history of Technoss**

After the discovery of Earth by the Galactic Alliance, the Alliance carefully infiltrated Earth's population, and discovered the uniqueness of the indigenous population. Amazed at the potential, the members of the Alliance met and agreed to merely observe Humanity until it reached a level of civilisation that would allow it to join the Galactic Alliance as an equal. The best Philosophers and Sociologists agreed with the plan, believing that the entry of the Humans into the Alliance would kick-start a new renaissance, with the energy of the Humans leading to a resumption of technological and sociological progress. In order to aid the isolation of Earth, the Alliance deleted the location of Earth from its databanks and designated the surrounding area as "unexplored".

The warrior race Zhlantans, still angry from their failure to conquer the Galactic Alliance, managed to learn about the Humans and their potential, drew the same conclusions, and panicked. Pulling together a force of a thousand of their best warships, the Zhlantans set forth to eradicate Earth, but even in their worst nightmares could not have predicted what would happen.

Although taken unawares, the Humans fought back, using hidden alien-inspired technology from places like Area 51, the secret Tech-bunker under Mount Rushmore and the Tech-complex built by Stalin and staffed with the finest minds of the Russian population. Using a mishmash of technologies never designed to work together, as well as the fighting spirit of Humanity, Mankind managed to keep the Zhlantans at bay for a full month, long enough to build and launch the second stage of their plan, a near-constant stream of manned diamond-tipped titanium-alloy rockets crewed by armoured astronauts, rockets that slammed through the outer hulls of the Zhlantan ships, disgorging the soldiers into the enemy vessels. Over a million rockets were launched, with fifty soldiers per rocket, of these, six out of every ten were destroyed before reaching their target. Most of the captains of the ships they boarded activated the self-destruct rather than be defeated, only in a hundred cases did the humans manage to prevent the Zhlantan commanders from destroying their vessels, usually more by luck than judgement. The only ship to escape was boarded by a single rocket-squad, who managed to damage the main control circuits and HyperLight engine before being defeated, condemning the crew to a journey at a mere 3c.

With the escape of the last Zhlantan vessel, Humanity turned its energy to building new vessels to escape to the stars in. Using Zhlantan technology and ores from the asteroid belts and other planets, over six thousand Supertransports were built, as well as fifty thousand warships to be crewed by volunteers in order to discourage pursuit. Over 12 billion (thousand-million) people were evacuated on the Supertransports, which fled into the unknown regions in an attempt to hide beyond the gaze of the Zhlantans. Over a hundred thousand smaller transports, each carrying several million, also left Earth in order to spread the human race over as much of the unknown Regions as possible, establishing outposts and colonies ready for the vengeance that all humans knew would be enacted.

The ruse worked, and when the Zhlantans attacked with the largest ever recorded fleet of over two million warships, the True-Guard, as they called themselves, attacked first, unleashing volley after volley of missiles from orbital launcher networks, and using kinetic mines to destabilize the Zhlantan formation. The first assault decimated the Zhlantans, and the losses mounted on both sides, with the heavily-crewed Zhlantan warships being systematically shredded by the smaller, deadlier, heavily-automated Human ships. In desperation, the Zhlantan Supreme Commander ordered a hundred thousand of his ships to deliver the ultimate bio-weapon to Earth. None of the ships survived the attack, but as the final three fell through the atmosphere, shedding superstructure and vital components, they also poisoned the Earth's atmosphere forever. The remnants of the True-Guard, knowing that Earth could never be re-colonized, attacked without holding back, fighting with such fury and persistence that many Zhlantan ships were destroyed by vessels that were almost completely destroyed themselves. When the final True-Guard ship was destroyed, the Zhlantan fleet, reduced to a mere twenty thousand heavily damaged vessels, retreated, and a small courier ship fled to the main human settlement, carrying news of the battle, and its resolution.

Spurred by hatred, vengeance and a desire for justice, the Humans re-established communications between themselves and forged a new civilization, which they called Technoss. Hardened by their experiences, they used the Zhlantan technology they had stolen as a basis from which to expand, and created new technologies based on old stories about the future. The first breakthrough was a more efficient anti-grav drive, combining the grav-manipulation effects of spinning superconductors with the energy-lifting apparatus used by the Zhlantans. A spin-off technology produced the phased-energy subspace drive that could push ships without losing reaction mass, and the vastly more efficient and faster Crystal HyperLight Generator, allowing Technoss ships to move at speeds of 250% of that of any other species. A full millennia passed before the Portal was perfected, a spinning hoop of alternatingly-charged superconductor coils encased in a casing composed of monomolecular circuitry that stabilized the resultant "blip" that could connect two Portals, irrespective of the distance traveled. MicroPortals served as information conduits, and later the technique for Portals up to ten miles across was developed, allowing instant passage for all but the largest of vessels. The first attempt to build a Portal larger than ten miles across showed that any Portal larger than 10.59 miles across suffered from sub-reality harmonics, which altered the atomic structure of anything that passed through. The pure-silicon probe recovered from the other end of the Portal is still on display, as a warning to those who wanted to abandon the safety-tests in favor of boosted technological progress.

Congruent with the development of the Portals, scientists developed a way to induce the phenomenon called Quantum-spookiness at will, manipulating it to act in different ways, and even to receive and sort multi-frequency Q/S to transmit multiple messages to a single destination. At first large and blocky apparatus, soon micro-technology reduced these devices and allowed them to be integrated into powered armor suits, thus providing an impenetrable means of communication and data-transmission.

Once the human colonists had managed to reinforce their borders to their liking, and created a fleet that they believed could defend them from any attack, they started to expand, finding many lost colonies, absorbing them into the engine of justice that was the Technoss. They also came across many other species unknown to the Galactic Alliance, and allowed them to join, promising them protection and the opportunity to spread beyond a single planet.

After two thousand years had passed, the Humans located the Galactic Alliance, and promptly set up a series of events in order to introduce their alter-egos, the mysterious armor-clad mercenary Technoss to them. Imposing and near-silent, the Technoss became a major power in the Galactic Alliance, and were soon given their own balcony in the Senate Chamber, over the protests of the Zhlantans and their allies, whom the Technoss had been accepting contracts against for many Galactic-Standard years. The softly-softly approach saved the Technoss, when their newly-acquired spies reported on the true size of the Spacefleet available to the Zhlantan Regime. Almost panicking, the humans instantly threw as much of their manpower as possible into building and crewing new vessels, and creating new designs, including the Solar class ships, each of which incorporated an external ten-mile-wide portal, and an internal mile-wide portal designed for cargo, equipment, maintenance and personnel transport, the latter portal permanently activated when in Realspace and connected to the central command station located in orbit round their headquarters New Earth.

The biggest suprise to the Technoss came from the most unlikeliest of sources, the famed philosopher/historian/scientist Zkryrger III, who managed to deduce a possible link between the Technoss and Humanity. Rather than kill such an incredibly clever being, the Technoss recruited him, showed him the whole truth, and accepted his suggestions about opening several systems to the galactic Alliance, the planets later known as Trade, Knowledge and the Haven System. With careful attention to detail, the Technoss micromanaged the planets in such a way that it only increased the mystique of the Technoss.

The biggest threat to the Technoss was internal, a group of people who insisted that the Technoss should reveal its past and call upon the Galactic Alliance to revoke the Zhlantan's right to exist. These Non-Isolationists ignored the fact that the Galactic Alliance only existed through a combination of trade, inertia, goodwill and mutual defense, carefully manipulated and reinforced by the Technoss in preparation for the day when the Technoss would help the Galactic Alliance to transform into a true Galactic Federation. The N/Is were held in check by the might of the Technoss military and public opinion, but were constantly trying to escape from the "Technoss Hivespace" in order the spread the word that they were sure would destroy the Zhlantans, but which would merely send two Superpowers onto a collision course, from which only one would emerge victorious.

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**Technoss Capital Ships**

The first ships built were designed along old sci-fi lines, until the direction of technology rendered the older vessels impractical. Once the Portal had been perfected, the first Command-class ship, the Solar Warrior, was laid down, with the main Portal incorporated into its bow, and a smaller Portal merely a mile wide located inside. By the time that the Solar Warrior was completed, however, it had undergone many changes, the most basic of which was its transformation from mobile battleplatform to roving starbase/deepspace repair dock with a Portal linked to the Ringstation that completely encircled New Earth, thus allowing near-constant resupply and data-transfer while in Realspace. With a length of seventy-five miles, or one-twenty kilometres, and a width of fifty miles, or eighty kilometres, the giant ovoid ship only boasted the minimum amount of weapons required, relying instead on its shielding (powered by thirty fusion-power plants) and near-inexhaustible reinforcements for protection. With almost two million crewmembers, ranging from marines, navigators and weapon operators to technicians, comm experts, diplomats and highly-trained medical staff, each Command Ship was prepared for virtually any circumstance. Over a million civilians also lived aboard each ship, families of crew, or dedicated non-military specialists with skills nearly impossible to reconcile with a military organisation, such as code-slicers, experienced grey-marketeers, inventors and the exceedingly rare, and thus highly valued Telempaths, who were rarely, if ever, assigned to smaller ships as they could communicate with virtually any sentient life-form.

The Destroyer-class vessels resemble the Command-Class ships in general shape, but are far smaller, only ten miles long and three miles wide. Unlike the Command-Ship, however, the Destroyer-class ship boasts multiple banks of weapons, including three triple-bands of weapons, mounted on the midline and a mile from each end. The triple-bands of weapons consist of a single band of DEMP cannons sandwiched between two bands of particle-laser cannons, with thirty-six cannons on each band. The bands themselves rotate, compensating for cannon recharge times by moving the fired cannon out of the way, replacing it by a fully-charged cannon. Since it takes less than a third of a rotation (at top speed) to recharge a cannon, each band of guns is equipped with three command-targeting computors, allowing the ship to effectively fire twenty-seven lines of energy at multiple targets. Secondary lasers are dotted across the hull to protect against incoming missiles and provide anti-spacefighter protection, while rotating domes house high-speed missile launchers, each one capable of firing sixty missiles per second, each drawing from a magazine of twelve hundred missiles, thus allowing a total of seven hundred and twenty missiles unloadable each minute. These weapons, however, fade into insignificance compared to the vessels primary weapon, the Primary Beam, produced in a special cannon that runs the entire length of the ship, requires almost the entire output from the vessels eight fusion power-plants and can only be sustained for a mere thirty seconds before the safety systems kick in and shut it down. The beam is powerful enough, however, to penetrate any shield or devastate an entire continent, but the recharge/repair time for the beam is over two hours, limiting the utility of this weapon. It carries four wings (288) of Spacefighters for various missions or defence.

The Shield-class ship is shaped like its namesake, being a streamlined delta five miles long, two and a half miles wide and half a mile tall at the thickest point. Fully 75% of the vessel is taken up by engines, fusion plants or shield generators (primary, seconary, tiertiary and final), thus giving this vessel a higher defense/mass ratio than anything else in the spacelanes. With a full wing of 72 Spacefighters stored in its landing bays, and five banks of intermixed laser cannons, DEMP cannons and missile launchers arrayed on its edge and four deltalines (two dorsal and two ventral), the Shield-class is able to absorb huge amounts of damage, and reply with incredible force.

The Spear-Class vessels are cylinders a mile long, with its forward quarter tapering from its diameter of a quarter-mile into a sharp point, the entire cone reinforced with a reinforced phase-shifted syntho-diamond coating that allows it to ram enemy ships with impunity. With six forward facing recessed high-speed missile launchers and two rotation-bands of laser cannons and Demp guns, the Spear-class boasts a heavy throw-weight for its size.

The Sword-Class ships are a similar, if flatter shape half the length of the Spear Class, and lack the rotation-band laser/DEMPcannons and ramming hull. Instead, they boast a mixture of multi-strength laser cannons designed to damage larger ships while being fast enough to track and destroy Spacefighters. The small hangar bay can only hold a single squadron of Spacefighters, but an advanced grav-driver system can launch them at full attack speed within five seconds of activation.

The smallest of the Capital Ships, the Dagger-Class is a mere quarter-mile long, and its weaponry is designed for anti-Spacefighter operations, with six recessed forward firing boosted lasers allowing it to engage in hit-and-fade tactics against bigger ships. It lacks the space for an interior hangar bay.

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**Technoss Hivespace**

By the time of the events chronicled in _Technoss Unchained_ , the Technoss Collective spanned over five hundred thousand planets of varying composition, inhabited by over sixty sentient races devoted to Technoss (the Humans being the most numerous, and generally the most committed). In terms of galactic volume, the Technoss Collective occupied 19% of the Galaxy, but the largest organisation, the Galactic Alliance, could only claim 23% and the Zhlantans exerted their will over 18%, leaving 40% of the Galaxy still unexplored or unclaimed.

Where the Technoss Collective met the Galactic Alliance or other inhabited areas, the border was marked by special tachyon-projector satellites that slightly distorted OverLight, thus informing any ship that passed through that it had entered a forbidden area, and should exit OverLight, turn round and flee at once. The satellites were patrolled by ships that guarded and repaired them, and maintained the arrays of weapon platforms surrounding each satellite.

In shape, the Technoss Collective resembled a smallish ovoid with several protrusions, or at least that is how it seemed according to the external viewers. In fact, the Technoss was far more massive, stretching from the official mapped border-intersection points to encompass almost an entire outer arm of the Galaxy.

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**Interactions With the Galactic Alliance**

With a full Embassy on Prime Planet, and a balcony configured for their use, the Technoss nevertheless preferred to maintain their air of mystery, working through others. Thanks to their actions in rescuing and relocating the Deepdwellers when an underwater supervolcano threatened to evaporate the water covering their planet, healing the Darklings from a disease that caused them to lose their light-absorbing capabilities, thus leaving them easy prey for predators, proving that the silicon-based sessile life-form called the Thunk were sentient, diverting a series of asteroids from cataclysmic impact of the world of Wind-blows-soft,Sun-shines-bright, and many other acts, they managed to create a covert network in the Alliance, one that allowed them to counter the Zhlantans without actually appearing to take any overt action. In addition to the high-level network, the Technoss also managed to recruit or insert spies into most of the other delegations, thus allowing them to know more about what was really going on behind the scenes than any other delegation, and thus work on reinforcing the Alliance against the machinations of the Zhlantans.

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**Special Notes**

In the Technoss Hive-Space, several races of telempaths exist, although these races are not very populous. They are very highly prized by the Technoss, as they are not only powerful telepaths in their own right, but can also activate the latent psychic powers present in 0.01% of the human population, and certain other species. These activated personnel, who call themselves Jyddie, are distinguished from the usual Technoss personnel by their habit of wearing robes in the color of the service they work for instead of the usual jumpsuit or exo-suit, and carry a weapon that resembles an irregular cylinder that projects a colored beam that can cut through almost anything. Although the reasons for these traditions have been lost in the mists of time, they are followed by most Technoss who possess Telekinesis, Telepathy, Pyrokinesis, Precognition or any of the so-called WildGifts. The Jyddie are always kept away from the borders, lest the enemies of the Technoss somehow discover their presence and try to capture them for dissection in order to duplicate their abilities.

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**Technoss Organisation**

The entire Technoss civilization is united by The Fleet, a military organisation that protects and serves the Technoss. The Fleet is commanded by the Council of Twelve, who are in turn chosen by acclimation from the Interstellar Council, comprised of representatives from each sector of Technoss Hivespace.

The criminal justice system of Technoss is rooted in the basis that since criminals believe that crime can pay, so should they. As a result, Prison is reserved only for the more serious offences. Theft is punishable by the imposition of a fine split between the victim, the local government and The Fleet, Blackmail by a fine equivalent to ten times that demanded. Kidnapping is punished by exile to a prison planet, as is rape or murder. Although harsh, the criminal justice system is regular and predictable.

Each planetary system is governed by a "Quorum" or local council, usually elected by the inhabitants of the system. Stable Binary/Trinary star systems are commonly regarded as singular entities, as opposed to one "Quorum" per star.

The Speaker for each "Quorum" is selected randomly, and fulfills the role of member of the Sector Council, which oversees all the planets in its area of responsibility, Each Sector covers between 60 to 100 Systems, except for Prime Sector, the seat of the Council of Twelve, which is centered on New Earth and the nine systems closest to it spatially. The outer six Systems are devoted to military bases, training areas and development complexes, while the inner three are devoted to records, medicine and law enforcement control respectively. All the planets in the Prime Sector are fully interlinked by multiple Portals, as opposed to the other Sectors, which tend to use a branching Portal-hierarchy system due to space and power constraints.


End file.
